School of Medicine

Human diseases and social networks seem to have little in common. However, at the crux of these two lies a network, communities within the network, and farther even, substructures of the communities. Weixiong Zhang, Ph.D., Washington University associate professor of computer science and engineering and of genetics, along with his Ph.D. student, Jianhua Ruan, has published an algorithm (a recipe of computer instructions) to automatically discover communities and their subtle structures in various networks.

A better drug for osteoporosis wouldn’t just preserve patients’ old bone structure; it would help fortify their weakened bones with new bone material. Such a drug could be on the horizon because of research at the School of Medicine that has uncovered new information about how to amplify the bone formation process. In an upcoming […]

A team of scientists led by Washington University has begun to unlock the genetic secrets of corn, a crop vital to U.S. agriculture. The researchers have completed a working draft of the corn genome, which should accelerate efforts to develop better crop varieties to meet society’s growing demands for food, livestock feed and fuel.

When platelet activity was blocked (right), bones had much smaller tumors.Cancer cells get a helping hand from platelets, specialized blood cells involved in clotting. Platelets shelter and feed tumor cells that stray into the bloodstream, making it easier for cancer to spread, or metastasize. Research at the School of Medicine suggests that inactivating platelets could slow down or prevent metastasis.

Diagrams map connections between brain regions linked to contemplative thought.A brain network linked to introspective tasks — such as forming the self-image or understanding the motivations of others — is less intricate and well-connected in children, scientists at the School of Medicine have learned. They also showed that the network establishes firmer connections between various brain regions as an individual matures.

Mike Venso/Laumeier Sculpture ParkAschheim’s “Earworm (Node),” contains LEDs, plastic, speakers, music and copper.Artist Deborah Aschheim, known for her focus on interactive multi-sensory responses to neuroscience, memory and cognition, joins Washington University faculty from art, medicine, psychology and neuroscience for a free public panel discussion examining the relationship between Aschheim’s art and brain science at 6 p.m. March 20 in Room 110, January Hall. The “Deborah Aschheim: Reconsider,” exhibition, on display at Laumeier Sculpture Park, explores why we remember what we see and hear and why we forget, while offering a solution to curb the “forgetting curve.”

Researchers trying to improve cancer immune therapy have made an unexpected find: They’ve produced the most accurate mouse model to date of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a cluster of conditions that afflict approximately 1.4 million Americans with abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea.

Depressed heart attack patients have a higher risk for sudden death in the months following a heart attack. Now a team led by researchers from the School of Medicine has found that the risk continues for many years. “There’s a two- to four-fold increase in a person’s risk of dying following a heart attack if they also happen to be depressed,” says Robert. M. Carney, lead author of the new study.

Frustrated by the slow pace of new drug development for a condition that causes pediatric brain tumors, a neurologist at the School of Medicine decided to try to fine-tune the animal models used to test new drugs. Instead of studying one mouse model of the disease causing the brain tumors, the laboratory of David Gutmann, M.D., Ph.D., the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor of Neurology, evaluated three and found that one of most closely mimicked what is seen in children who develop brain tumors.

School of Medicine scientists have linked a genetic mutation to an inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often called Lou Gehrig’s disease.