School of Medicine

Studying West Nile virus infection in mice, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that an antiviral compound tightens the blood-brain barrier, making it harder for the virus to invade the brain.

Mary Klingensmith, MD, the Mary Culver Distinguished Professor and vice chair for education in the Department of Surgery, was installed as president of the Association for Surgical Education (ASE) at the organization’s annual meeting in Seattle.

A diabetes drug may have benefits beyond lower blood sugar in patients with HIV. New research from the laboratory of Kevin E. Yarasheski, PhD, suggests the drug may prevent cardiovascular problems because it works to reduce inflammation that is linked to heart disease and stroke in these patients. The drug both improved metabolism and reduced inflammation in HIV-positive adults on antiretroviral therapy.

​To the nearly 2 million people in the United States living with the loss of a limb, prosthetic devices provide restored mobility, yet lack sensory feedback. A team of engineers and researchers at Washington University is working to change that so those with upper limb prosthetics can feel hot and cold and the sense of touch through their prosthetic hands.

John VanderHeyden, a mechanic at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, said he is lucky to be alive after collapsing recently in a parking lot on the Medical Campus. He was revived by School of Medicine security officers, who immediately began chest compressions and used an automated external defibrillator (AED), a portable device that provides an electric shock to restore a heart’s normal rhythm.

Four School of Medicine nurses have received the 2015 Excellence in Nursing Award from St. Louis Magazine, honoring local nurses who have made a difference in the lives of their patients and colleagues.Pictured is Jennifer Wofford of the Department of Pediatrics, who received a perfect score from the award judges.

Margot Williams, PhD, postdoctoral research scholar in the Department of Developmental Biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a two-year, $106,600 National Research Service Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research titled “Regulation of Mediolateral Cell Polarity by PCP and Notochord Boundary Signaling.”

A newly discovered link between bacteria and immune cells sheds light on inflammatory bowel disease, an autoimmune condition that affects 1.6 million people in the United States, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Researchers led by John F. DiPersio, MD, PhD, at the School of Medicine have designed a way to mitigate graft-versus-host disease, a common and often life-threatening complication of bone marrow transplants that are used to treat leukemia and other blood cancers. The method also employs a molecular imaging tool to help doctors identify patients most likely to develop this dangerous condition.

The Washington University AIDS Clinical Trials Unit is the first in the nation to open a clinical trial evaluating whether statins reduce heart attacks and strokes in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).