Klein named vice provost and associate dean for graduate education
Robyn S. Klein, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist recognized internationally for her work on the brain’s immune system, has been named vice provost and associate dean for graduate education for the Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences. She will begin her new post Jan. 1.
Aggressive UTI bacteria hijack copper, feed off it
Researchers at the School of Medicine have shown that E. coli bacteria — those at the root of hard-to-treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) — hijack trace amounts of copper in the body and use it as a nutrient to fuel growth. The finding may open the door to treating UTIs using drugs that work differently from traditional antibiotics.
The other total eclipse
New Horizons team members just pulled off “eclipse” observations of a body at the far outer reaches of the solar system, showing August eclipse tourists how it’s done.
A sodium surprise
Irregular heartbeat — or arrhythmia — can have sudden and often fatal consequences. A biomedical engineering team at Washington University in St. Louis examining molecular behavior in cardiac tissue recently made a surprising discovery that could someday impact treatment of the life-threatening condition.
Blood test IDs key Alzheimer’s marker
A study led by researchers at the School of Medicine suggests that measures of amyloid beta in the blood have the potential to help identify people with altered levels of amyloid in their brains or cerebrospinal fluid. The test could identify people who have started down the path toward Alzheimer’s years before symptoms occur.
Trump budget increases regulatory costs by $3.5 billion in 2018
While President Donald Trump has pledged an all-out effort to do away with wasteful regulations, his proposed 2018 budget would increase federal spending on regulatory agencies by 3.4 percent, according to a new report issued today by the Weidenbaum Center at Washington University in St. Louis and the Regulatory Studies Center at George Washington University.
Glass is weirder than you think
Changes in a liquid as it becomes a glass are related to repulsion between its atoms as they are crowded together. Although scientists have long believed the poorly understood glass transition must have atomic underpinnings, this is the first time they have been demonstrated experimentally.
Brown School to study health impact of MetroLink expansion
A team of researchers from the Brown School is set to investigate the potential health impact of an expansion of the MetroLink light rail system in St. Louis. Led by Rodrigo Reis, professor, the effort will be the first Health Impact Assessment for transit in the region.
Study in Lancet: Afghans with disabilities lack access to quality health care
Despite 15 years of investment in the Afghan health-care sector by the international community, vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, do not benefit from access to quality health care, finds a new Washington University in St. Louis study published in the journal Lancet Global Health.
Vaccines protect fetuses from Zika infection, mouse study shows
A new study in mice shows that females vaccinated before pregnancy and infected with Zika virus while pregnant bore young with no trace of the virus. The findings offer evidence that an effective vaccine administered prior to pregnancy can protect vulnerable fetuses.
View More Stories