School of Medicine

Carl Frieden, PhD, professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a five-year, $1.56 million grant from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research titled “Alzheimer’s Disease: Defining the apoE-amyloid-beta interaction.”

A reformulation of OxyContin (left) that makes it less likely to be abused than the older formulation (right) has curtailed the drug’s illicit use. But researchers at the School of Medicine have found that a significant percentage still abuse the drug despite package labeling that emphasizes its abuse-deterrent properties. 

Washington University School of Medicine and BJC HealthCare are planning to build a 12-to-14-story office building on the site of the Storz Building on the Medical Campus.

Researchers led by Samuel Achilefu, PhD, at the School of Medicine have devised a way to apply light-based therapy to deep tissues never before accessible. Instead of shining an outside light, they delivered light directly to tumor cells, along with a photosensitive source of free radicals that can be activated by the light to destroy cancer.

Tracy Spitznagle, associate professor of physical therapy and of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named to the board of directors of the Worldwide Fistula Fund.

Stroke can lead to a wide range of problems such as depression and difficulty moving, speaking and paying attention. A new study led by Maurizio Corbetta, MD, at the School of Medicine has found evidence that stroke damage to “cables” buried inside the brain plays an important role in these impairments.

M. Farooq Rai, PhD, assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery and an investigator in the laboratory of Linda Sandell, PhD, the Mildred B. Simon Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a five-year, $924,201 Pathway to Independence grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research titled “Genetic and Molecular Insights Into Cartilage Regeneration, Primary and Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis.”

Solar panels are being installed on the rooftop of the building at 4488 Forest Park Ave. on the Medical Campus. The building houses the Washington University Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Forest Park Pediatrics.

To highlight a few of the many African-Americans leading the way in science, a series of posters highlighting African-Americans in science and technology is being displayed on the Medical School and Danforth campuses from March 4-April 17.

Evaluating military personnel with blast-related mild traumatic brain injuries, researchers have found that early symptoms of post-traumatic stress, such as anxiety, emotional numbness, flashbacks and irritability, are the strongest predictors of later disability. The study was led by the School of Medicine.