Medicine & Health

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have developed an approach to estimating when a person who is likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, but has no cognitive symptoms, will start showing signs of Alzheimer’s dementia.

Andrew Yoo, associate professor of developmental biology at the School of Medicine, has received two research grants for work on Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegenerative pathways.

A research team at Washington University School of Medicine has identified potential new treatment targets for Alzheimer’s disease, as well as existing drugs that have therapeutic potential against these targets.

Cyrus Raji, MD, PhD, assistant professor of radiology and of neurology at the School of Medicine, received a three-year $2.3 million grant from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his research titled “Neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s Disease Imaging Biomarkers in Midlife Obesity.”

An investigational Alzheimer’s drug showed mixed results, reducing molecular markers of disease and curbing neurodegeneration, without demonstrating evidence of cognitive benefit, in a clinical trial led by School of Medicine researchers.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have found that high levels of a normal protein associated with reduced heart disease also protect against Alzheimer’s-like damage in mice, opening up new approaches to slowing or stopping brain damage and cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer’s.

A multidisciplinary team at Washington University led by Hong Chen has developed a new brain stimulation technique using focused ultrasound that is able to turn specific types of neurons in the brain on and off and precisely control motor activity without surgical device implantation.

A $10.7 million five-year grant will support a comprehensive study in which whole-genome sequencing will be used to address critical gaps in knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease. The project is led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh.

New research in mice has shown that some investigational Alzheimer’s therapies are more effective when paired with a treatment geared toward improving drainage of fluid and debris from the brain, according to a study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine.

Researchers at the School of Medicine have received three grants totaling more than $10 million to study the factors that contribute to deterioration in driving skills in older adults and to determine ways to identify people whose driving skills have begun to decline or are on the verge of slipping.