Newsroom Stories

The School of Medicine and pharmaceutical company Eisai Co. Ltd. have formed a research collaboration aimed at developing new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.

Fangqiong Ling at the McKelvey School of Engineering and Likai Chen in Arts & Sciences developed a machine learning model that uses the assortment of microbes found in wastewater to tease out how many individual people they represent. Their study was published in PLOS Computational Biology.

High school senior Marye’ Jones got two big surprises Monday: a letter of admissioon to WashU, her dream school, and a WashU Pledge scholarship award, which will cover tuition, housing, books and more. Jones, of St. Louis, was among 700 students admitted through the early decision process.

Abhinav Jha, at the McKelvey School of Engineering, wants to use novel imaging to better understand how people absorb radiation therapy. His team won a four-year $2.2 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for the study, which aims to guide treatment decisions.

A large study conducted in part by School of Medicine researchers focused on whether exercise and mindfulness training could boost cognitive function in older adults. The study found no such improvement following the interventions.

Recent Chinese protests over COVID-19 restrictions provided a blueprint for future activism to prevent government from infringing on civil liberties, says Zhao Ma, associate professor of modern Chinese history and culture in Arts & Sciences. That could spell trouble for President Xi’s administration.

A nasal COVID-19 vaccine based on technology licensed from Washington University in St. Louis has been approved for emergency use in India as a booster for people who have already received two doses of other COVID-19 vaccines.

“Color can appear anywhere,” says Katharina Grosse. “It is independent from any location.” In this video, Grosse, one of Germany’s most celebrated artists, explores the nature of color, the visceral reactions it prompts and its power to override pictorial relationships and hierarchies.

With so much uncertainty, how can businesses gain a competitive edge going into the new year and beyond — better anticipating threats created by competitors, the economy, suppliers, politicians and more? One way is through the process of “war gaming,” says John Horn, a competitive strategy expert at Olin Business School.

The National Academy of Inventors has elected two Washington University faculty members to its 2022 cohort of fellows: Guy Genin, at the McKelvey School of Engineering, and Farshid Guilak, at the School of Medicine.