Medicine & Health

Using cells from children diagnosed with primary ciliary dyskinesia, a genetic lung disease, School of Medicine researchers have figured out how mutations disrupt the clearing of the airways.

A long-term study of adult children of Alzheimer’s patients — led by the School of Medicine — aims to define who is likely to develop the disease and when, and to establish a timeline for how quickly the disease will progress.

People who survive brain infection with West Nile virus can have neurological problems long after the virus is gone. A new study in mice suggests unresolved inflammation may be the reason.

Washington University School of Medicine’s Stephen Beverley found that viruses hidden inside the parasite Leishmania worsen disease caused by the parasite. Now, an evolutionary survey of the viruses in related parasites suggests that Leishmania’s viruses may have helped it make the jump from infecting insects to infecting vertebrates.

A 15-year global study of children genetically predisposed to developing Type 1 diabetes found that drinking formula made with cow’s milk did not increase their risk for developing the disease. School of Medicine scientists were among the international team of researchers who conducted the study.

Chronic poor sleep has been linked to cognitive decline. A new study from the School of Medicine shows that a sleepless night causes levels of the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid beta to rise faster than the brain’s waste-disposal system can remove it. Persistently high levels of the protein can set off a cascade of brain changes leading to dementia.

A new study from the School of Medicine reveals that although many cancer therapies target rapidly dividing stem cells, mature cells also seem to play a key role in initiating cancer, at least in forming precancerous lesions.

Radiation therapy often is used to treat cancer patients. Now, School of Medicine doctors have shown that radiation therapy — aimed directly at the heart — can be used to treat patients with a life-threatening heart rhythm.

When trying to help children lose weight, involving a parent in the treatment makes the entire family healthier, researchers at the School of Medicine have shown.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have received a $3.9 million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop bacteria that manufacture renewable biofuels — energy sources made from plants or microbes.