Newsroom Stories

It’s been a good run, but eventually the house lights come up. Since 1973, the Edison Ovations Series has brought nationally and internationally known performing artists to Washington University in St. Louis and the community. But the 2014-15 season will be the Ovations’ last.

A new theory about disorders that attack the brain and spinal column has received a significant boost from scientists at the School of Medicine. The theory links these conditions to corrupted proteins known as prions, which appear bright green in this image of brain cells from a patient with Alzheimer’s disease.

The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis has honored Kansas City architect Theodore H. Seligson (BArch ’53) with its Distinguished Alumni Award.

A project to provide low-cost eyeglasses for people in the developing world and one to develop a cell-death detector will share $25,000 to further develop their projects as winners of the 2014 Discovery Competition. Washington University in St. Louis’ School of Engineering & Applied Science created the competition in 2012.

Bacteria that naturally live in the soil have a vast collection of genes to fight off antibiotics, but they are much less likely to share these genes than infectious bacteria, a new study by researchers at the School of Medicine has revealed. Shown is senior author Gautam Dantas, PhD.

That the WUSTL-connected contingent comprises 40 percent of this year’s Arch Grant winners is no surprise to H. Holden Thorp, PhD, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Get an up close look at the eight WUSTL-affiliated 2014 Arch Grant winners.

Scientists have advanced a brain-scanning technology that tracks what the brain is doing by shining dozens of tiny LED lights on the head. The technique compares favorably to other approaches but avoids the radiation exposure and bulky magnets the others require, according to new research at the School of Medicine.

Prostate biopsies performed using magnetic resonance imaging are more likely to find aggressive tumors than those that rely on ultrasound, suggests a new study led by Gerald Andriole, MD, chief of urology at the School of Medicine.

Adding vitamin D to asthma treatment to improve breathing only appears to benefit patients who achieve sufficient levels of the supplement in the blood. Overall, the ability to control asthma did not differ between a study group that received vitamin D supplements and a group that received placebo. Mario Castro, MD, (left) led the study.