Newsroom Stories

Artist’s rendering of the new buildingThe largest building ever constructed on the campus of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will be the home base for BioMed 21 — the University’s innovative research initiative designed to speed scientific discovery and apply breakthroughs to patient care rapidly. The building is supported by a $30 million gift to Washington University’s medical school from BJC HealthCare and will be named the BJC Institute of Health at Washington University.

An important component of BioMed 21, the Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University in St. Louis is a gene-sequencing powerhouse and one of the four such centers in the world. It specializes in large-scale, high-throughput genome sequencing, supplying data that helps researchers at the School of Medicine identify the genetic factors that contribute to disease.

Groundbreaking to announce construction of the new BJC Institute of Health at Washington University, supported by a $30 million gift from BJC HealthCare. Scheduled for completion in December 2009, the building will be the largest ever constructed on the campus of Washington University School of Medicine. It will also be the home base for BioMed 21 — the university’s innovative research initiative designed to speed scientific discovery and rapidly apply breakthroughs to patient care.

Many of the principles guiding the modern food movements can be traced back to concepts first explored by Frances Moore Lappe in her pioneering 1971 book, Diet for a Small Planet. The book sold millions and influenced a generation about the social and personal significance of a new way of eating, and as a result, a new way of viewing the world. On Tuesday, November 6 at 4 p.m. in Graham Chapel, Lappe will present a talk for the Assembly Series based on her most recent book, “Getting a Grip: Clarity, Creativity, and Courage in a World Gone Mad.” The program, co-sponsored by the University Libraries and the student organizations Feed St. Louis and Assn. of Students Against Poverty, is free and open to the public. Graham Chapel is located on Washington University’s Danforth Campus.

As reservoirs of valuable information go, nothing beats the sun. This sphere of heat and energy holds 99.9 percent of the solar system, saved in all original proportions after planets and meteorites formed. Analyzing the mix of hydrogen, oxygen and noble gases found in the sun can answer one of the biggest questions of the universe: How did our solar system evolve? Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis and a large team of colleagues marked the beginnings of that odyssey by examining samples of solar wind for neon and argon, two abundant noble gases. The work was published in the Oct. 19, 2007, issue of Science.

David Kilper/WUSTL Photo ServicesRosie Mandel as IsabellaOne of Shakespeare’s most confounding “problem plays,” Measure for Measure explores the nature of power, the relationships between men and women and the battle between justice and mercy. In November the Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences will present a two-weekend run of Measure for Measure in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre.

Images of brain cells taken before (above) and after seizures in live mice reveal loss of spines, small bumps on the surfaces of brain cell branches.For some epilepsy patients, the side effects of epilepsy can be as troubling as the seizures. One pressing concern is the cognitive impairment seizures often inflict, which potentially includes memory loss, slowed reactions and reduced attention spans. Now scientists at the School of Medicine have directly observed seizure-induced structural changes in brain cells in laboratory animals. They report in The Journal of Neuroscience that the insights they gained allowed them to use a drug to block those changes in the brain.

Clara Asnes (12 years); Barbara Beck (13 years); Saul Becker (21 years); Nancy Belt (10 years); Michael Biondo (20 years); Elizabeth Bloomfield (26 years); Judith Bodnar (41 years); Jennifer Bollinger (17 years); Linda Butler (30 years); Sherry Cannon (21 years); Jean Chou (23 years); Jane D’Amico (18 years); Patricia Davis (25 years); Pearline Degenhardt (16 […]

Office for Technology Management co-directors Michael Marrah and Bradley CastanhoBreaking down the barriers describes the efforts of the Office of Technology Management (OTM), the group dedicated to realizing the commercial potential of research. OTM evaluates discoveries, then licenses and patents technology developed by Washington University faculty. Michael T. Marrah, JD, and Bradley J. Castanho, PhD, were appointed co-directors of the office in January 2007, after serving as interim directors for nearly a year.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum Tribute Exhibition will be on the Danforth Campus Nov. 3-4 on the parking lot at Skinker Boulevard and Forest Park Parkway. Opening ceremonies, which will include remarks by Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton and police and fire representatives, will take place at 10 a.m. Nov. 3 on the lot.