School of Medicine

Courtesy PhotoFirst-year medical students spent a week at a Navajo Reservation in Arizona talking with middle- and high-school students about diabetes, obesity and substance abuse.

The School of Medicine has launched a wide-reaching initiative to encourage departments to hire and retain faculty from diverse backgrounds. In keeping with that initiative, the medical school will hold a symposium May 16 focusing on that mission.

Using an innovative statistical approach, a research team from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of California, Los Angeles, has identified two regions of DNA linked to autism. They found the suspicious DNA with a much smaller sample of people than has been used traditionally in searches for autism genes.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report they have developed an agent that protects cells from the lethal effects of radiation, regardless of whether it is given before or after exposure. Using this agent in mice, the investigators found that the treatment helped shield rapidly dividing cells that are most vulnerable to radiation-induced death, providing proof in principle that it is possible to fend off radiation damage.

DXA scans of a male patient with osteoporosisAlthough women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis, or porous bone, one in 12 men also suffer from the disease, which can lead to debilitating – or even life-threatening – fractures. In women, low estrogen levels after menopause have been considered an important risk factor for this disorder. Now research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has shown that low amounts of active estrogen metabolites also can increase the the risk of osteoporosis in men.

Women with estrogen-responsive breast cancer are often prescribed a drug that reduces their estrogen levels. But because estrogen is important to bone health, there is widespread concern about how the estrogen-reducing drugs – called aromatase inhibitors – affect bones. A study at the School of Medicine will investigate bone loss in women taking aromatase inhibitors, and researchers are calling for interested women to volunteer.

The School of Medicine is seeking online faculty input on the strategic plan being developed as part of the University-wide “Planning for Excellence” initiative.

Matthew J. Ellis, M.D., Ph.D., is looking to use the genetic profile of breast tumors to guide therapy and to find new drugs to treat the disease.

Gravenhorst’s new ear is repositioned during an office visit to the maxillofacial prosthetics lab.Like any 17-year-old, Emily Gravenhorst follows a routine to get ready for a day of high school. She showers, styles her hair, puts on her make-up and eats breakfast. And just before she leaves the house, she puts on her right ear. That ear was created in the maxillofacial prosthetics laboratory at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where one dental specialist and one technician help patients fit back into society after disfigurement due to accident or disease.

YokoyamaA researcher with Hawaiian roots is among the 72 members elected to the National Academy of Sciences this year. Selection for the academy is a prestigious honor that recognizes distinguished and continuing achievement in research and is one of the highest marks of distinction for an American scientist.