Newsroom Stories

By mapping the evolution of cancer cells in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes who later died of leukemia, Timothy Graubert, Matthew Walter and their Washington University colleagues have found clues to suggest that targeted cancer drugs should be aimed at mutations that develop early in the disease.

With every meal, immune cells in the intestine stand like sentries at a citadel, turning away harmful bacteria but allowing vitamins and nutrients to pass. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified the cells that chaperone food antigens, or proteins, in the intestine so that the immune system doesn’t mount an attack. Their discovery provides scientists with a potential target for therapies against inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease and food allergies.

Sophomore Lucas Tcheyan (left) of Sigma Chi Fraternity and freshman Avital Mandil of South 40 Lee/Beaumont Residential College accept the Green Cup award on behalf of their team members at the Green Cup Awards ceremony March 7 at Ursa’s Fireside on the South 40. The Green Cup recognized the South 40 residential college, North Side team and fraternity that reduced its energy use by the highest percentage during the four-week competition, which ended Feb. 29. 

Researchers, including Richard Wilson, PhD, director of The Genome Institute, have identified the first gene mutation associated with a chronic and often fatal form of neuroblastoma that typically strikes adolescents and young adults. The finding provides the first clue about the genetic basis of the long-recognized but poorly understood link between treatment outcome and age at diagnosis.

Todd Gitlin, PhD, a noted 1960s cultural scholar and book author, will visit Washington University in St. Louis Wednesday and Thursday, March 28 and 29, to keynote a two-day mini-colloquium exploring the counter-cultural movements of the year 1968, including a special focus on the many literary, social, political and artistic theories spawned by these movements. 

A program that helps obese patients improve healthy behaviors is associated with modest weight loss and improved blood pressure control in a high-risk, low-income group, according to Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH, at Washington University School of Medicine. Compared to those receiving usual care, the lifestyle intervention slowed increases in weight and blood pressure in this population of high-risk patients.

“The goal of our work is to create parks that are intrinsically urban — not places to escape from the city, but places to escape within the city.” So observes landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh, currently leading the design team charged with reimagining the 91-acre park surrounding St. Louis’ iconic Gateway Arch. On March 19, Van Valkenburgh will discuss his work as part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts’ spring Public Lecture Series.

After starting the season with three straight losses, the baseball team earned its ninth consecutive win to improve its record to 9-3 overall, 2-0 in UAA play. The victory over Brandeis matched the longest winning streak for the Bears since 2007. Updates also included on men’s and women’s track, softball, tennis and golf.

Research has shown that youth violence is a major cause of injury and death among Latinos. However, there is little understanding of violent behaviors of youths within various Latino ethnic subgroups such as Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Mexicans. Lorena Estrada-Martínez, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, recently examined how family dynamics and neighborhood racial/ethnic composition and socioeconomic status (SES) impact youth violence among Latino subgroups. “Higher levels of youth independence can reduce the risk of violence in primarily Latino neighborhoods,” Estrada-Martinez says. 

Lee E. Ohanian, PhD, professor of economics and director of the Ettinger Family Program in Macroeconomic Research at the University of California, Los Angeles, will present “Depressions, Crises, and Economic Policy: The 1930s and Today” at Washington University in St. Louis for the inaugural Lloyd Cole Lecture at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, in the Danforth University Center, Room 276.