Page 491 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

Newly approved drug effective against lung cancer caused by genetic mutation

The new drug sotorasib reduces tumor size and shows promise in improving survival among patients with lung tumors caused by a specific DNA mutation, according to results of a global phase 2 clinical trial. The study is led by scientists at the School of Medicine and other institutions.

Awards & Notables

Kommagani receives NIH grant

Ramakrishna Kommagani, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the School of Medicine, received a five-year $1.86 million grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his research titled “Role of the Gut Microbiota in Endometriosis.”

Neuroscience & Memory

Studies reveal skull as unexpected source of brain immunity

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have discovered that the immune cells stationed in the protective tissue known as the meninges come primarily from the skull. The finding opens up the possibility of developing therapies to target such cells as a way to prevent or treat brain conditions.

Engineering

New method predicts chemotherapy effectiveness after one treatment

Image of new, noninvasive system to gather data from breast cancer tumors

An interdisciplinary team at Washington University finds that combining certain data after a patient’s first treatment can predict how a breast cancer tumor is responding to chemotherapy.

Awards & Notables

Vahey receives NIH grant

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Michael Vahey, at the McKelvey School of Engineering, a two-year $433,125 grant for research into virus vulnerability.

Nutrition & Wellness

Tiny implant cures diabetes in mice without triggering immune response

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and Cornell University have implanted insulin-secreting cells into diabetic mice to normalize their blood sugar.

Health & Society

Synthetic data mimics real health-care data without patient-privacy concerns

Washington University investigators now have access to a new research tool that allows them to conduct clinical studies using synthetic patient data. Synthetic data produced by the new tool, called MDClone, accurately mimics real patient data without the privacy concerns.

Business & Entrepreneurship

Olin research: Incentivize domestic drug production to combat medicine shortages

Olin Business School’s Tony Sardella, along with Paolo De Bona, PMBA ’20, will join the Brookings Institution for a virtual public forum on June 11 to discuss their research on the shortage of critical pharmaceutical drugs in U.S.

Humanities & Society

Brown School works with Webster Groves to improve housing equity

Molly Metzger, senior lecturer at the Brown School, and students in her policy course have partnered with Webster Groves city council members and St. Louis’ Green City Coalition on a series of projects connected to the planning of community land trusts.

Obituaries

John Turk, endowed professor of endocrinology, 73

John Turk, MD, PhD, a pioneer in mass spectrometry research and a deeply respected faculty member for more than 40 years at Washington University School of Medicine, died May 26 in Eureka, Mo., after a brief illness. He was 73.