School of Medicine

Farshid Guilak, PhD, a professor of orthopaedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and director of research at Shriners Hospitals for Children-St. Louis, has received the Basic Science Research Award from the Osteoarthritis Research Society International.

With research that points to potential therapeutic targets for autoimmune diseases, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified genetic master switches that turn up – or down – the activity of specific types of immune cells.

New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates stem cells located in “pockets” in the intestine avoid contact with a prominent metabolite produced by beneficial microbes living in the gut. That metabolite – butyrate – restricts the proliferation of stem cells, potentially hampering the intestine from repairing itself after an injury or damage.

Sports medicine specialist Robert H. Brophy, MD, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been elected to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons board of directors.

Linda J. Sandell, the Mildred B. Simon Professor or Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Osteoarthritis Research Society International.

Studying twins from birth through age 2, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that the gut’s immune system develops in sync with the gut’s tens of trillions of microbes. The findings have implications for understanding healthy growth and, potentially, the origins of various immune disorders.

Morvarid Karimi, MD, a tenacious researcher, committed teacher and compassionate clinician in the Department of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died May 21, 2016, of a brain hemorrhage. She was 44.

People who suffer itching with no clear cause may have previously unrecognized immune system defects. In a small study of such patients, researchers from the Center for the Study of Itch at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identified immune system irregularities that may prompt the urge to scratch.

A survey of more than 216,000 adolescents from all 50 states indicates the number of teens with marijuana-related problems is declining. Similarly, the rates of marijuana use by young people are falling despite the fact more U.S. states are legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana use and the number of adults using the drug has increased. Researchers at the School of Medicine examine the data.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and colleagues have discovered the gene that produces the brilliant red color in male birds that is so attractive to females. The study is published online May 19 in Current Biology.