School of Medicine

School of Medicine scientists have identified brain networks involved in a baby’s learning to walk — a discovery that eventually may help predict whether some infants are at risk for autism.

Bettina Drake, associate professor of surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, was honored with the 2017 Baylor University Distinguished Black Alumni Award.

School of Medicine researchers have identified a compound that targets the APOE protein in the brains of mice and protects against damage induced by the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid beta.

About half of people with blood clots in the deep veins of their legs develop a complication that involves chronic limb pain and swelling, making it difficult for some to walk and perform daily activities. A large-scale clinical trial has shown that a risky, costly procedure to remove such clots fails to reduce the likelihood that patients will develop the debilitating complication.

Arthur DeCosta Loewy, professor of anatomy and of neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died Dec. 2, 2017, of complications related to inflammatory bowel disease and other health issues. He was 74.

The American Association of Immunologists (AAI) has named Eugene M. Oltz the next editor-in-chief of The Journal of Immunology. Oltz is professor and the vice chair for faculty development in the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

A new study hints that even large physician practices may have trouble moving to a payment system that rewards quality of health care over quantity of services delivered. And the new system may disproportionately burden small practices, researchers found.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a way to prevent fat cells from growing larger, a process that leads to weight gain and obesity. By activating a pathway in fat cells in mice, the researchers found they could feed the animals a high-fat diet without making them obese.

Why move from current standards of patient care to a more personalized approach to treatment? Experts at the School of Medicine describe today’s medical landscape as they plan for the care — and cures — of the future.

The School of Medicine is building the necessary infrastructure through centers and institutes to allow research that is more efficient and cost-effective, and that encourages high risks leading possibly to key breakthroughs.