School of Medicine

Although viruses such as herpes simplex can infect the eye’s cornea and Zika virus has been found in corneal tissue and tears, new School of Medicine research suggests the cornea can resist infection from the novel coronavirus.

By studying animals choosing between drink options, School of Medicine researchers have found that the activity of certain neurons in the brain leads directly to the choice of one option over another. The findings could lead to better understanding of how decision-making goes wrong in conditions such as addiction and depression.

The School of Medicine is a testing site for a phase 3 clinical research study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate from the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies. The school will enroll up to 500 adults ages 18 and older in the St. Louis region.

Simona Sarafinovska, a Washington University Medical Scientist Training Program student, has been named the inaugural recipient of The brAvery Foundation Award. The foundation, dedicated to the prevention of youth suicide, created the award to recognize an exceptional medical student or resident who has demonstrated a commitment to a career in child and adolescent psychiatry. 

People with Down syndrome nearly always develop signs of Alzheimer’s as they age. School of Medicine researchers are taking part in a multisite study to understand how Alzheimer’s develops in this population, with a long-term goal of finding ways to prevent or treat the disease.

An international team of researchers led by scientists at the School of Medicine has identified two regions in our DNA — one newly identified and a second that replicates a past finding — that appear to contribute to one’s risk of becoming dependent on marijuana.

Daniel Kerschensteiner, MD, professor of ophthalmology at the School of Medicine, has received the Cogan Award from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. The annual award recognizes a researcher age 45 or younger who has made important research contributions in ophthalmology and visual science.

Pharmaceutical maker Eli Lilly and Company has purchased Disarm Therapeutics, a startup biotechnology firm founded by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine to speed the development of treatments for multiple neurodegenerative conditions.

Deanna M. Barch, chair of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences and the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine, and Randall J. Bateman, MD, professor of neurology at the School of Medicine and director of the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network and Trials Unit, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

A new, international phase 3 clinical trial led by the Washington University School of Medicine and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will investigate the potential of three drugs to tame a dangerous inflammatory response seen in some COVID-19 patients.