School of Medicine

Robyn S. Klein, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist recognized internationally for her work on the brain’s immune system, has been named vice provost and associate dean for graduate education for the Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences. She will begin her new post Jan. 1.

Researchers at the School of Medicine have shown that E. coli bacteria — those at the root of hard-to-treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) — hijack trace amounts of copper in the body and use it as a nutrient to fuel growth. The finding may open the door to treating UTIs using drugs that work differently from traditional antibiotics.

Irregular heartbeat — or arrhythmia — can have sudden and often fatal consequences. A biomedical engineering team at Washington University in St. Louis examining molecular behavior in cardiac tissue recently made a surprising discovery that could someday impact treatment of the life-threatening condition.

A study led by researchers at the School of Medicine suggests that measures of amyloid beta in the blood have the potential to help identify people with altered levels of amyloid in their brains or cerebrospinal fluid. The test could identify people who have started down the path toward Alzheimer’s years before symptoms occur.

A new study in mice shows that females vaccinated before pregnancy and infected with Zika virus while pregnant bore young with no trace of the virus. The findings offer evidence that an effective vaccine administered prior to pregnancy can protect vulnerable fetuses.

A comprehensive pedestrian and driver safety program is being developed by the Operations and Facilities Management Department at Washington University School of Medicine.

Jose A. Moron-Concepcion, associate professor of anesthesiology the School of Medicine, studies the emotional component of pain and opioid receptors. He discusses some of the key points addressed in a new report on opioid abuse issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

New research has uncovered compelling evidence that genetics plays a major role in how children look at the world and whether they have a preference for gazing at people’s eyes and faces or at objects.The discovery by researchers at the School of Medicine and Emory University adds new detail to understanding the causes of autism spectrum disorder.

Part of a major 20-year study, new research provides further evidence that surgery is unnecessary for early-stage prostate cancer, although some men whose disease is further along may benefit.

Research from Washington University School of Medicine, Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, and Stanford University shows that disrupting just one night of sleep in healthy, middle-aged adults causes an increase in a brain protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease.