Fall 2009 Assembly Series begins with a comic touch by alum Ramis
The fall 2009 Assembly Series will start off on a light note with comedic filmmaker and Washington University alumnus Harold Ramis. The series continues through mid-November covering topics on entrepreneurship, equal rights, human rights, government and the environment.
Fat in the liver — not the belly — is a better marker for disease risk
New findings from nutrition researchers at the School of Medicine suggest that it’s not whether body fat is stored in the belly that affects metabolic risk factors for diabetes, high blood triglycerides and cardiovascular disease, but whether it collects in the liver. They report online in the journal PNAS Early Edition that when fat collects in the liver, people experience serious metabolic problems such as insulin resistance, which affects the body’s ability to metabolize sugar.
Research shows why low vitamin D raises heart disease risks in diabetics
Low levels of vitamin D are known to nearly double the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes, and now researchers at the School of Medicine think they know why. They have found that diabetics deficient in vitamin D can’t process cholesterol normally, so it builds up in their blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Low-dose estrogen shown safe and effective for metastatic breast cancer
When estrogen-lowering drugs no longer control metastatic breast cancer, the opposite strategy might work. Raising estrogen levels benefited 30 percent of women whose metastatic breast cancer no longer responded to standard anti-estrogen treatment, according to research conducted at the School of Medicine and collaborating institutions.
Scientists identify cells in fruit fly gut that start tumors
Tumor growth can start from stem cells in the gut, say researchers studying fruit flies at the School of Medicine. They found that tumors can grow from adult stem cells that have lost a specific tumor-suppressor gene. The gene, Apc, has previously been implicated in human gastrointestinal cancers, including colon cancer.
Center for the Study of Ethics and Human Values will close June 2010
The Center for the Study of Ethics and Human Values at Washington University will close, effective June 30, 2010. Many of the programs and work on ethics and human values will transition over the next year to the schools and other parts of the University. The decision comes in the wake of significant shortfalls in […]
Helping teachers teach
Photo by David KilperTiffany Knight, Ph.D. (right), assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, identifies an invasive plant to a group of high school teachers attending the Life Sciences for Global Community degree program at WUSTL this summer.
Danforth recognized for his contributions to science
Chancellor Emeritus William H. Danforth, M.D., was presented the 2009 American Society of Plant Biologists Leadership in Science Public Service Award during the annual meeting in Honolulu July 21. The award was presented in recognition of Danforth’s outstanding contributions to science and society.
Sleckman named Conan Professor of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine
SleckmanBarry P. Sleckman has been named the Conan Professor of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine at the School of Medicine. Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton and Larry Shapiro executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, announced the appointment.
WUSTL leads study of pediatric brain tumors
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded a five-year, $4 million grant to researchers at the School of Medicine to use genetically-engineered mice to study the origins and potential treatments of pediatric brain tumors. David H. Gutmann, the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor of Neurology, is principal investigator of the grant, which is part of the NCI’s Mouse Models of Human Cancers Consortium. He is also on staff at Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals.
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