School of Medicine

In its 10 years, the Longer Life Foundation has funded more than 48 research grants, awarding some $2 million to support studies on various topics.

Washington University is in the spotlight for its pivotal role in the Genomics Education Partnership, a collaborative effort to provide research experience in genomics to undergraduate classrooms across the country.

New research suggests cooling the brain may prevent the death of nerve cells that has been observed in infant mice exposed to anesthesia.

Inaccurate statistics undermine physicians’ ability to give patients a true prognosis, which prevents patients from deciding how best to spend their future time.

The Danforth Foundation has granted the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders at the School of Medicine a $10 million endowed gift for research.

Mark J. Manary, M.D., has been named the Helene B. Roberson Professor of Pediatrics at the School of Medicine.

A vaccine designed to prevent the recurrence of lung cancer is now being tested in centers around the world including the Siteman Cancer Center at the School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. The vaccine stimulates the immune system to destroy cells that carry a tumor-specific antigen called MAGE-A3. This antigen is not present in normal tissue but is found in several cancer types, including 35 percent to 50 percent of cases of the most common type of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer.

Illustration by Michaela HuntFor years, scientists have struggled to decipher the genetic instruction book that details where and when the 20,000 genes in a human cell will be turned on or off. Different genes operate in each cell type at different times, and this careful orchestration is what ultimately distinguishes a brain cell from a liver or skin cell. Now, scientists at the School of Medicine report they have developed a model of gene expression in yeast that predicts with a high degree of accuracy whether a gene will be switched on or off.

The Danforth Foundation has granted the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders at the School of Medicine a $10 million endowed gift for research into a range of conditions that cause injury and impairment to the brain and central nervous system. The funds will be used to support innovative and groundbreaking new ideas for research with clear potential to improve diagnosis and treatment of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, stroke, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and other disorders.

Pear-shaped people who carry weight in the thighs and backside have been told for years they are at lower risk for high blood pressure and heart disease than apple-shaped people who carry fat in the abdomen. But in two studies, School of Medicine researchers report that body shape isn’t the only marker of risk. Excess liver fat appears to be the key to insulin resistance, cholesterol abnormalities and other problems that contribute to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.