School of Medicine

Two mouse models of Zika virus infection in pregnancy have been developed by a team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The models provide a basis to develop vaccines and treatments, and to study the biology of Zika virus infection in pregnancy.

Signaling a potential new approach to treating diabetes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard University have produced insulin-secreting cells from stem cells derived from patients with type 1 diabetes.

Two School of Medicine scientists have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. They are Kenneth M. Murphy, MD, PhD, and Herbert W. “Skip” Virgin IV, MD, PhD, both of the Department of Pathology and Immunology. Election to the academy is among the highest honors that can be awarded to a U.S. scientist or engineer.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that some neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex assign value to options in everyday decision-making. The area’s neurons then can re-map to make different decisions when circumstances change.

Mokhtar H. Gado, MD, professor emeritus and for decades a leading researcher at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at the School of Medicine, died of colon cancer April 28, 2016, in St. Louis. He was 84. He was noted for his work with neurological diseases and research involving brain and spine imaging.

Extended use of drugs to treat heartburn, ulcers and acid reflux may lead to serious kidney damage, including kidney failure, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System.

A study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis describes a newborn screening test that identifies infants with Niemann-Pick type C, an often fatal condition in which cholesterol builds up and eventually destroys brain cells. Early detection may save lives and improve prospects for managing the disease.

IDEA Labs, a student-run bioengineering and design incubator started at Washington University in St. Louis, will expand its national reach through a partnership with the American Medical Association. The collaboration is aimed at supporting cutting-edge medical technology development from the next generation of young entrepreneurs.

Those on the Medical Campus, take note: At about 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 3, the Campus Renewal Project safety team will demonstrate the importance of construction workers wearing fall-protection gear and having a rescue plan.

Robert Charles Strunk, MD, a beloved and acclaimed pediatric allergist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died of cardiac arrest Thursday, April 28, 2016, in his native Chicago. He was 73.