School of Medicine

A kind of neuron found only in male mice and that detects a pheromone in female urine has been identified by researchers at the School of Medicine. But the sex difference is not hard-wired. By manipulating the mice’s living conditions and exposing male mice to female scents for long periods of time, the scientists showed that males lost these neurons and their interest in courting females.

Linda Van Dillen, a professor of physical therapy and of orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow by the American Physical Therapy Association.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded a $10.4 million, five-year grant to Washington University researchers and physicians at Siteman Cancer Center to lead a national group of experts in collaborative pancreatic cancer research.

George Kyei, MBChB, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a Young Physician-Scientist Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

Commonly touted as “good cholesterol” for helping to reduce risk of stroke and heart attack, both high and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol may increase a person’s risk of premature death, according to new research at the School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System.

Memento, an interdisciplinary team of Washington University in St. Louis undergraduate, graduate and medical students, has won $10,000 in a national competition for their mobile app designed to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease more quickly.

Researchers at The McDonnell Genome Institute at the School of Medicine have co-led a study on breast tumors — before and after hormone reduction therapy. It reveals the extreme genetic complexity of these tumors and the variety of responses that are possible to estrogen-deprivation treatments.

Rithwick Rajagopal, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a Young Physician-Scientist Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

Studying mice and zebrafish, researchers from the School of Medicine and the University of Zurich have shown that the proteins associated with Mad Cow Disease — when properly folded — play a vital role in nerve cell function.

A memorial service for Jessie L. Ternberg, PhD, MD, professor emerita at the School of Medicine, will be held at 1 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Ternberg, 92, died July 9.