Page 39 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

Region’s first patient receives sickle cell gene therapy

The first sickle cell disease patient in the St. Louis region has been successfully treated by WashU Medicine physicians at St. Louis Children’s Hospital with a gene therapy newly approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Medicine

Ornitz receives NIH grant to study lung development

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded David M. Ornitz, MD, PhD, of WashU Medicine, $740,000 annually for four years to support research aimed at understanding respiratory complications associated with premature birth.

Awards & Notables

Brown named to Business Journal’s ‘influential women’ class

Rebecca Brown, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and university governance at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s “Most Influential Business Women” class of 2025.

Obituaries

Frank A. Podosek, planetary scientist, 83

Frank A. Podosek, a professor emeritus of earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died June 8 in Florida. He was 83 years old.

Engineering

Sleep data from wearable device may help predict preterm birth

An interdisciplinary research team at Washington University in St. Louis has found that variability in sleep patterns in people experiencing pregnancy can effectively predict preterm birth.

Aging

Strategy to prevent age-related macular degeneration identified

Fixing problems with cholesterol metabolism might help slow or prevent age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in older adults, a new WashU Medicine study in mice has shown.

Medicine

Harris selected for William T. Grant Scholar Class of 2030

Occupational therapy faculty member Kelly Harris, at WashU Medicine, will receive a $425,000 award to develop and test a technology-enabled care coordination service model to support Black youth with asthma.

Biology

A unified theory of the mind

Biologist Keith Hengen in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis says “criticality” is the key to understanding how the brain works — and how to keep it free from Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

Neuroscience & Memory

AI-based brain-mapping software receives FDA market authorization

The FDA has given market authorization to a WashU startup’s technology that quickly and accurately maps the sensitive areas in patients’ brains to help neurosurgeons plan safe and effective surgeries.

Campus & Facilities

New staff leadership programming available

New leadership programs are now available for WashU staff.