School of Medicine

Scientists have blocked harmful immune cells from entering the brain in mice with a condition similar to multiple sclerosis (MS), believed to be caused by misdirected immune cells that enter the brain and damage myelin, an insulating material on the branches of neurons that conduct nerve impulses.

Eleven Washington University research teams are preparing to ask and answer critical questions about pediatric health problems with help from $3.8 million in new grants from the Children’s Discovery Institute.

A new study by Esteban Varela, MD, shows that adjustable gastric banding, a type of weight loss surgery that reduces the size of the stomach, is safe in people who are mildly obese.

Raphael Kopan, PhD, professor of developmental biology in the School of Medicine, is addicted to discovery. Growing up on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, he discovered snakes, butterflies and bits of ancient pottery. Today, his discoveries continue in his lab, working to understand how cells communicate.

Marcus E. Raichle, MD, professor of radiology, of neurobiology and of neurology in the School of Medicine, received a MetLife Foundation Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer’s Disease Feb. 24 in New York. Raichle has been producing brain imaging research contributing to the way Alzheimer’s is now diagnosed and treated for nearly 40 years.

Whether on a battlefield, in a factory or at a rock concert, noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common hazards people face. Jianxin Bao, PhD, and other researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a low-dose, two-drug cocktail that reduces hearing loss in mice when given before they are exposed to loud noise.

To help runners reach their potential, the Program in Physical Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine has launched a running clinic to diagnose movement problems and promote the most efficient running mechanics for each runner.

Scientists have decoded the DNA of the parasitic worm that causes trichinosis, a disease linked to eating raw or undercooked pork or carnivorous wild game animals, such as bear and walrus.

Daniel Moran, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering and neurobiology in the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis, is developing brain-computer interfaces based on grids of electrodes that lie beneath the skull but outside the dura mater, the protective membrane that covers the brain. His next project is to slip a thin 32-electrode grid he designed with a colleague under a macaque’s skill and to train the monkey to control — strictly by thinking about it — a computational model of a macaque arm.

Children who have asthma but are experiencing few or no symptoms often stop using daily asthma medications much to their doctors’ chagrin. However, results of a new study suggest taking medication at the onset of symptoms is better than taking nothing at all.