Medicine & Health

Broadly suppressing the immune system after lung transplantation inadvertently may encourage organ rejection, according to a new School of Medicine study in mice. Shown, from left, are study co-authors Daniel Kreisel, MD, PhD, Andrew Gelman, PhD, and Alexander Krupnick, MD.

Increased brain cell activity boosts brain fluid levels of a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research from scientists at the School of Medicine. Senior author David M. Holtzman, MD, said the findings should help advance efforts to treat Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders associated with the tau protein.​

Using an inexpensive 3-D printer, biomedical engineers, including Igor Efimov, PhD (left), the Lucy & Stanley Lopata Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering have developed a custom-fitted, implantable device with embedded sensors that could transform treatment and prediction of cardiac disorders.

Treating stroke is a race against time. To prevent brain damage and save lives, physicians have to diagnose and treat strokes as quickly as possible. Now, a new study suggests doctors can reduce risks by delaying a commonly performed follow-up surgery that clears fatty deposits from an artery in the neck. Shown is senior author Greg Zipfel, MD.

Recipients of this year’s Jane and Whitney Harris St. Louis Community Service Award are Peggy and Jerry Ritter. The award is given annually to a husband-and-wife team for exemplary dedication in advancing the educational, cultural and social service institutions in the metropolitan area.

A panel of experts, including researchers from the School of Medicine, is recommending that depression be added to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking as a cardiac risk factor.​

Researchers at the School of Medicine have identified an unusual cause of the lysosomal storage disorder called mucolipidosis III, at least in a subset of patients. Unlike most genetic diseases that involve dysfunctional or missing proteins, the culprit is a normal protein that ends up in the wrong place.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation announced Feb. 17 that Washington University in St. Louis’ Gary Patti has been awarded a 2014 Sloan Research Fellowship. He is among 126 outstanding U.S. and Canadian researchers selected as fellowship recipients this year. Awarded annually since 1955, the fellowships are given to early-career scientists and scholars whose achievements and potential identify them as rising stars, the next generation of scientific leaders.

Babies who develop leukemia during the first year of life appear to have inherited an unfortunate combination of genetic variations that may make the infants highly susceptible to the disease, according to a new study led by the School of Medicine’s Todd Druley, MD, PhD.

Some WUSTL faculty members have received awards from the Fulbright Program for academic pursuits in areas ranging from architecture to education to medicine.