Medicine & Health

Scientists have decoded the genome of the platyfish, a cousin of the guppy and a popular choice for home aquariums. Scientists are interested in the fish because they tend to develop melanomas along the tail and fin.

Michael M. Awad, MD, PhD, has been named associate dean for medical student education at the School of Medicine, effective June 1. Awad is an assistant professor of surgery, program director of the university’s general surgery residency and director of the university’s Institute for Surgical Education.

After the morning rush April 18, the Missouri Department of Transportation will close the Jefferson Avenue bridge over Interstate 64/Highway 40 to prepare for its removal.

Richard K. Wilson, PhD, and colleagues have identified mutations responsible for the most common type of childhood brain cancer and shown that the tumors are susceptible to drugs already in development.

St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday and his mom, Kathy, have teamed up with the Siteman Cancer Center to spread the word about the importance of colon cancer screening.

Using a miniature electronic device implanted in the brain, scientists have tapped into the internal reward system of mice, prodding neurons to release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure. This LED light can activate brain cells and may lead to the mapping of circuits involved in sleep, depression and addiction.

Ira C. Gall, MD, professor emeritus of clinical obstetrics and gynecology and a strong supporter of Washington University School of Medicine, died Friday, March 29, 2013, from complications of pancreatic cancer.

On April 15, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, a case that could answer the question, “Under what conditions, if any, are isolated human genes patentable?” Kevin Emerson Collins, JD, patent law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, believes that layered uncertainties make this case an unusually difficult case in which to predict the outcome.

Either physical therapy or arthroscopic surgery can relieve pain and improve mobility in patients with a torn meniscus and arthritis in the knee, according to researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and six other centers. But the results are not simple because many of the patients assigned to physical therapy eventually had surgery.

Marilyn Krukowski, PhD, professor emerita of biology, died Sunday, April 7, 2013, in St. Louis from complications of multiple sclerosis. She was 80. Krukowski taught vertebrate structure (anatomy) in the Department of Biology for more than 30 years. Her students raved about the quality of her teaching and often cited the course as the best they ever had taken at Washington University.