Decoy molecules target E. coli to treat UTIs in mice
School of Medicine researchers report they found a way to treat urinary tract infections without using antibiotics, at least in mice. The scientists are working on an alternative that would prevent bacteria from causing disease.
Uncertainty leads to treatment delays for young people with mental illness
Stigmas, attitudes of self-reliance and misattributing symptoms led a group of young adults experiencing their first episode of psychosis to delay seeking treatment, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
CRISPR enhances cancer immunotherapy
Scientists at the School of Medicine have used the gene-editing technology CRISPR to engineer human T cells that can attack human T cell cancers without succumbing to friendly fire. The study evaluating the approach in mice appears online in the journal Leukemia.
$6.8 million to fund research into Cantu syndrome, cardiovascular disease
Colin Nichols, the Carl F. Cori Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology, has received a grant to study how the genetic mutations underlying Cantu syndrome are linked to cardiovascular disease.
$5 million aids development of artificial red blood cells
A research team from the School of Medicine led by Allan Doctor, MD, has received $5 million in grants to develop artificial red blood cells to act as a blood substitute. The research aims to prevent deaths from traumatic bleeding.
Developing enabling technology for emerging gene therapies
For years, researchers have attempted to harness the full potential of gene therapy, a technique that inserts genes into a patient’s cells to treat cancer and other diseases. However, inserting engineered DNA molecules into cells is difficult. A team of engineers at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a new method that could make the process easier.
Similarities found in cancer initiation in kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas
School of Medicine researchers have found that when mature cells transition to begin dividing again, they all seem to do it the same way, regardless of what organ those cells come from. These older cells may be dangerous because when they revert to stem cell-like behavior, they carry with them all the potential cancer-causing mutations that have accumulated during their lifespans.
Study of smoking and genetics illuminates complexities of blood pressure
A large-scale study that analyzed genetics and smoking habits has revealed new information about blood pressure. The study, conducted by an international consortium of investigators, was led by School of Medicine researchers.
Cutting off cervical cancer’s fuel supply stymies tumors
Through research in mice, School of Medicine scientists have exploited cancer cell metabolism to kill cervical tumors that are resistant to standard chemotherapy and radiation.
Despite odds, fish species that bypasses sexual reproduction is thriving
An international team of scientists, led by McDonnell Genome Institute at the School of Medicine, has sequenced the genome of the Amazon molly, a fish that reproduces asexually. The researchers expected that the asexual organism would be at a genetic disadvantage, but the Amazon molly is thriving.
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