Newsroom Stories

New research by Ting Wang, PhD, (left) and graduate student Vasavi Sundaram has uncovered some striking differences in the genomes of humans and mice that can help scientists determine when a mouse may be a good stand-in to study human biology and disease.

The Department of Classics in Arts & Sciences will launch a new Doctor of Philosophy in classics next fall. The program builds on the department’s nationally recognized Master of Arts but also draws on resources from across the university to create specialized tracks in ancient performance, ancient history, ancient philosophy and Greek and Roman music.

L. Lewis Wall, MD, DPhil (right), has received a gold medal for his “meritorius contributions” to medical education at Mekelle University College of Medical and Health Sciences in Mekelle, Ethiopia. He is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Washington University School of Medicine and of anthropology in Arts & Sciences.

An investigational treatment for Marfan syndrome is as effective as the standard therapy at slowing enlargement of the aorta, the large artery of the heart that delivers blood to the body, according to a new study co-authored by Alan C. Braverman, MD. Slowing aortic growth in Marfan syndrome is important in protecting against the tearing of the aorta.

The antibiotic azithromycin may reduce the risk of recurrent wheezing in infants hospitalized with a common respiratory infection, according to a small pilot study at the School of Medicine. Reduced wheezing may lower an infant’s risk of developing asthma over the next several years, according to the researchers, including first author Avraham Beigelman, MD.

Washington University in St. Louis undergraduates Kilian Suchocki (left) and Taylor Francis take a shift on the dance floor during the 15th Dance Marathon, a 12-hour fundraiser held Nov. 15-16 at the Danforth University Center. The annual student event raised more than $150,000 for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals.

Rose Windmiller, assistant vice chancellor for government and community relations at Washington University in St. Louis, has been appointed a member of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon’s special Ferguson Commission. She is one of 16 members who were announced during a news conference held Nov. 18 at the Missouri History Museum.

The second season of “The Frontline for Hope,” a documentary series following patients, families and clinicians at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, will premiere Saturday, Nov. 22. The series highlights School of Medicine physicians and staff and St. Louis Children’s patients and their families.

What: Dance Marathon, a benefit for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals​ When: 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15 to 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 16 Where: The Danforth University Center (The DUC), Washington University in St. Louis Hundreds of students will dress up in colorful costumes to enjoy themed dance hours, performances, games and visits from Miracle kids […]

Scientists have mostly ignored mRNA, the molecule that ferries information from DNA to the cellular machines that make proteins, because these DNA transcripts are ephemeral and soon destroyed. But mRNA can be just as important as DNA scientists at Washington University in St. Louis say. They found that oxidized messenger RNA jams the cellular machines that make protein. The failure to clear the jams and chew up bad messengers is associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.