Newsroom Stories

“Professor Stanley is a highly respected faculty member with a great record of achievement in research,” says Chancellor Wrighton, who made the announcement.

A finding by School of Medicine researchers, led by Michael Holtzman, could potentially restore patients’ troubled airways to healthy functioning.More medical news

StanleySamuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., a professor of medicine and of molecular microbiology at Washington University in St. Louis, has been appointed the university’s new vice chancellor for research. The announcement of Stanley’s appointment was made by Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton, and is effective July 1, 2006.

Children between the ages of 6 and 17 years old with moderate-to-severe asthma may be eligible for a study at the School of Medicine to evaluate whether two medications can reduce the amount of inhaled steroids needed to control asthma.

Fiction writer Ellen Akins will read from her work at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, for the Writing Program Reading Series. Akins is the author of four novels, including “Home Movie: A Novel” (1988), “Little Women: A Novel” (1990) and “Hometown Brew” (1998), as well as a collection of short stories, “World Like a Knife” (1991).

Two Girls Working, the collaborative team of artists Tiffany Ludwig and Renee Piechocki, will screen a documentary about their ongoing project, “Trappings,” at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, in Ursa’s Lounge. “Trappings” investigates the relationship between power and self-presentation by asking women to respond to the question “What do you wear that makes you feel powerful?”

Mice with Tax-induced leukemia/lymphoma develop large tumors and many areas of bone destruction, as shown in this X-ray.Defeating cancerous tumors by attacking healthy cells seems like an unusual strategy, but researchers at the School of Medicine have shown the strategy to be effective against leukemia/lymphoma in mice. The research group found that inhibiting normal bone-maintenance cells called osteoclasts not only prevented the mice’s cancer from spreading to their bones, it also slowed the growth of tumors in the body’s soft tissues.

WUSM scientists have identified a protein that helps keep internal “clocks” in sync.Scientists have identified a receptor protein that helps the fruit fly know when to start and shut down its day. Neuroscientists from the School of Medicine identified a receptor for pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) protein, which scientists previously recognized as a molecule that helps keep different internal “clocks” synchronized. Because these timekeeping processes have been highly conserved through evolution, what the scientists learn from flies and other organisms may help them better understand the same systems in humans.

Sustiva is the brand name for efavirenz.The largest detailed, prospective clinical study of the mental side effects of a potent anti-AIDS drug, efavirenz, has revealed that the anxiety, dizziness, “funny feelings” and vivid dreams triggered by the drug fade away within a month, possibly clearing the way for more widespread use. Efavirenz is the first drug from its class that lasts long enough to be taken once a day, and that makes it a potentially valuable drug for AIDS treatment.

Bright areas in this image highlight the junctions between heart muscle cells.Failing hearts develop interference in their communication channels, according to research conducted at the School of Medicine. The problem involves a subtle change in the pores that connect heart muscle cells. When the scientists duplicated this change in mice, the mice became susceptible to ventricular tachycardia, a dangerous heart rhythm disorder that can lead to sudden cardiac death.