Study reveals new, potent way to boost immunity and fight viruses​​​

Studying mice with a variety of viral infections, scientists at the School of Medicine have demonstrated a way to dial up the body’s innate immune defenses while simultaneously attacking a protein that many viruses rely on to replicate. The findings reveal previously unknown weapons in the body’s antiviral immune arsenal and provide guidelines for designing drugs that could be effective against a broad range of viruses.

WashU Expert: Brace yourself, it’s fall-back time again

Falling back is easier on us than springing forward, says Erik Herzog, a biologist at Washington University in St. Louis who has devoted his career to studying body clocks and circadian rhythms. But it is never a good idea to force our body clocks to follow abrupt changes in mechanical clocks. We should get rid of daylight savings time, Herzog says.

Richard Wahl elected to National Academy of Medicine​

Richard L. Wahl, MD, the Elizabeth E. Mallinckrodt Professor and head of radiology at the School of Medicine, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, formerly known as the Institute of Medicine. Election to this academy is considered one of the highest honors in the field of health and medicine in the United States.

​Moving​, even to more affluent areas, puts kids at greater risk for not graduating high school​​​

​​Want to make sure your child graduates from high school? Don’t move.A new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis finds that students experiencing at least one move over a twelve month period have a roughly 50 percent decreased likelihood of obtaining a high school diploma by age 25. These associations are identified regardless of whether students move to a poorer or more affluent area.​ ​

Premature birth appears to weaken brain connections​

Babies born prematurely face an increased risk of neurological and psychiatric problems that may be due to weakened connections in brain networks linked to attention, communication and the processing of emotions, according to new School of Medicine research led by Cynthia Rogers, MD. 

Art on Campus: Ann Hamilton

Artist Ann Hamilton discusses “O N E E V E R Y O N E · St. Louis,” a public art installation created for the Brown School’s Hillman Hall and the latest installment in Art on Campus, WashU’s percent-for-art program.

Gronowski presents on women’s and infants’ health

Ann M. Gronowski, PhD, a professor of pathology and immunology and of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, presented a poster on the Women and Infants Health Specimen Consortium at this year’s American Association for Clinical Chemistry meeting.