School of Medicine

A long-term study of adult children of Alzheimer’s patients — led by the School of Medicine — aims to define who is likely to develop the disease and when, and to establish a timeline for how quickly the disease will progress.

People who survive brain infection with West Nile virus can have neurological problems long after the virus is gone. A new study in mice suggests unresolved inflammation may be the reason.

Misty Good, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named to the Scientific Advisory Council of the Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) Society. The nonprofit aims to reduce cases of NEC, a potentially fatal intestinal disease in premature newborns.

David C. Van Essen, the Alumni Endowed Professor of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the 2017 Glass Brain Award from the Organization of Human Brain Mapping. The award recognizes lifetime achievement in using neuroimaging to advance understanding of the brain.

Washington University School of Medicine’s Stephen Beverley found that viruses hidden inside the parasite Leishmania worsen disease caused by the parasite. Now, an evolutionary survey of the viruses in related parasites suggests that Leishmania’s viruses may have helped it make the jump from infecting insects to infecting vertebrates.

A 15-year global study of children genetically predisposed to developing Type 1 diabetes found that drinking formula made with cow’s milk did not increase their risk for developing the disease. School of Medicine scientists were among the international team of researchers who conducted the study.

Stephen L. Johnson, a leader in the field of zebrafish genomics and a professor of genetics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died at his home Dec. 15, 2017, after a long struggle with rheumatoid arthritis. He was 56.

Susan Dutcher, a professor of genetics and the interim director of The McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named a 2017 fellow of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB).

Chronic poor sleep has been linked to cognitive decline. A new study from the School of Medicine shows that a sleepless night causes levels of the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid beta to rise faster than the brain’s waste-disposal system can remove it. Persistently high levels of the protein can set off a cascade of brain changes leading to dementia.

A new study from the School of Medicine reveals that although many cancer therapies target rapidly dividing stem cells, mature cells also seem to play a key role in initiating cancer, at least in forming precancerous lesions.