Discovery may lead to new drugs for osteoporosis

Scientists at the School of Medicine have discovered what appears to be a potent stimulator of new bone growth. The finding could lead to new treatments for osteoporosis and other diseases that occur when the body doesn’t make enough bone.

Faculty learn from each other at i teach symposium

Washington University in St. Louis faculty participated in the annual i teach symposium at the Knight Center earlier this month. It was a chance for faculty and staff from all seven schools to exchange ideas about innovative teaching across disciplines.

Announcing Washington University’s Spring 2014 Assembly Series

The Washington University in St. Louis Assembly Series turned 60 in 2013, and to mark such an august occasion, it’s fitting to remember why the lecture series was conceived in the first place. The Assembly Series launched during the institution’s centennial celebration in 1953 as a way to involve the broader St. Louis community in the robust intellectual life on campus.

New target explored for psychiatric drug development

In a surprising discovery, neuroscientists, led by a team from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have found that a molecule that is a breakdown product of cholesterol in the brain may be a target for developing new drugs to treat schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.

Child savings accounts promote positive social-emotional development, study finds

A college savings account in a child’s name not only gives parents hope for the future, it also results in improved social-emotional health for their children. That’s the result of a new study released Jan. 27 online in JAMA Pediatrics. The study, led by Washington University in St. Louis’ Center for Social Development in collaboration with the state of Oklahoma, began in 2007 as SEED for Oklahoma Kids, an innovative policy experiment to invest in children at birth. The program automatically opened and deposited $1,000 in an Oklahoma college savings plan account for 1,360 newborns.

Super Bowl ads last months, not just one day

Commercials for the commercials? Arnold Schwarzenegger in tennis gear? A “Full House” reunion? Must be Super Bowl time. “It’s interesting to see the experience of the Super Bowl ads lasting eight to 13 weeks on average today compared to one day of viewing the ads years ago,” says Carol Johanek, adjunct professor of marketing at Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School.