School of Medicine

Marilyn Krukowski, PhD, professor emerita of biology, died Sunday, April 7, 2013, in St. Louis from complications of multiple sclerosis. She was 80. Krukowski taught vertebrate structure (anatomy) in the Department of Biology for more than 30 years. Her students raved about the quality of her teaching and often cited the course as the best they ever had taken at Washington University.

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown they can coax cells to move toward a beam of light. The feat is a first step toward manipulating cells to control insulin secretion or heart rate using light.

A gene with a colorful name – mindbomb 1 – plays a key role far beyond the brain. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that mindbomb 1 may be involved in repairing cells injured by infection or inflammation in the stomach and pancreas. Researchers also found hints that mindbomb 1 may have connections to cancer in those organs.

Researchers at Washington University have identified a new set of genetic markers for Alzheimer’s disease that point to a second pathway through which the disease develops. Much of the genetic research in Alzheimer’s centers on amyloid-beta, a key component of brain plaques in people with the disease. But the new study identified several genes linked to the tau protein, which is found in tangles.

Scientists have decoded the genome of the western painted turtle, one of the most abundant turtles on Earth, finding clues to their longevity and ability to survive without oxygen during long winters spent hibernating in ice-covered ponds.

A new study raises the intriguing possibility that drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration, a blinding eye disease. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that age-related macular degeneration shares a common link with atherosclerosis. Both problems have the same underlying defect: the inability to remove a buildup of fat and cholesterol.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is playing a leading role in one of the National Institutes of Health’s first clinical trials to improve treatments for rare and neglected diseases. In this case, the disease is Niemann-Pick Type C, a disorder that causes excess cholesterol to accumulate in the brain, liver and spleen. It affects about 500 children worldwide, leads to neurodegeneration, and usually causes death in the first two decades of life.

At recent Board of Trustees meetings, many faculty members were appointed with tenure, promoted with tenure or granted tenure. Read more to see who they are.

A recent display showcased photos taken by participants of the Photovoice project hosted by Siteman Cancer Center’s Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities. Participants used photos to remind people of the need for colon cancer screenings. Pictured is participant Ronald Rancher and the photo he submitted.

Colin P. Derdeyn, MD, professor of radiology, of neurological surgery and of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been appointed vice chair and chair-elect of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.