Medicine & Health

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Scientists at the School of Medicine have transformed skin cells from patients with Huntington’s disease into the type of brain cell affected by the disorder. This offers a new tool to study the degenerative and eventually fatal neurological condition.

The first study to examine the initial impact of a culturally-adapted health care manager intervention aimed at helping Hispanics with serious mental illness, led by Leopoldo Cabassa of the Brown School, finds the intervention shows potential for improving health outcomes for Hispanics.

Two viruses closely related to Zika – West Nile and Powassan – can spread from an infected pregnant mouse to her fetuses, causing brain damage and fetal death, according to a new study from the School of Medicine. The findings suggest that Zika may not be unique in its ability to cause miscarriages and birth defects.

Temporarily shutting off neuronal signals to a healthy part of the brain may aid stroke recovery, according to new research in mice from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.