A team led by researchers at the School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified a pair of genes that influence risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The genes — known as MS4A4A and TREM2 — affect the brain’s immune cells. They influence Alzheimer’s risk by altering levels of TREM2, a protein that is believed to help microglia cells clear excessive amounts of the Alzheimer’s proteins amyloid and tau from the brain.
When it comes to plant growth and development, one hormone is responsible for it all: auxin. New Washington University in St. Louis research has uncovered a mechanism by which it can affect a plant in a myriad of ways.
Matt Kerr, professor of mathematics and statistics in Arts & Sciences, received a $42,000 grant from the Simons Foundation for a project titled “Asymptotic Hodge theory in geometry, physics, and arithmetic.”
Shumeng Jiang, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, was part of a team that uncovered previously unknown cell behaviors.
The Trump Administration’s proposed overhaul of the landmark Endangered Species Act will “hasten the extinction of countless species,” says Jonathan Losos, director of the Living Earth Collaborative at Washington University in St. Louis and an international biodiversity expert.
Andrea Wang-Gillam, MD, PhD, is an oncologist at Siteman Cancer Center whose family’s careers inspired her lifelong interest in helping people through medicine. Today she aims to improve outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer.
Of all the reasons why researchers would prefer more robust monitoring of pollutants in the atmosphere, one stands out: Having this basic information is an indication of progress in the realm of environmental science. A McKelvey School of Engineering scientist outlines the extent of the gap between what researchers know and don’t know.
Researchers at the School of Medicine have found the molecular signature of a healthy gut microbial community – the kind that can keep the intestinal bacteria Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) from overgrowing and causing diarrhea.
Peter P. Gaspar, professor emeritus of chemistry in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died Saturday, July 27, 2019, in St. Louis, following a long illness. He was 84.
The university’s Office of the Vice Chancellor and General Counsel is this year’s recipient of the Gerald R. Ortbals Law Practice Award from Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. The office and other honorees will be recognized during an awards luncheon Aug. 16.
