Highlights

WUSTL center for study of women's infectious diseases officially opens

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis recently held opening ceremonies for a new center to study infectious diseases that preferentially affect women. The center for Women's Infectious Disease Research (cWIDR) will focus on issues such as microorganisms that cause urinary tract infections, infections that lead to premature delivery, and potential contributing roles for microorganisms in life-threatening conditions such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. More >

Piwnica-Worms named Gerty T. Cori Professor

Helen Piwnica-Worms, Ph.D., has been named the first Gerty T. Cori Professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The appointment was announced by Larry Shapiro, M.D., executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor and dean of the School of Medicine. More >

Unique radiology center puts research scanners in the heart of a hospital

Whether it's needed to track the activity of a drug, the growth of a tumor or the progress of a medical disorder, high-tech imaging equipment often is an essential component of advanced clinical research. However, patient care typically keeps these machines jammed with activity. To solve this problem, the School of Medicine created a multimillion-dollar imaging facility in the heart of Barnes-Jewish Hospital that is dedicated to scientific research. More >

Immense new facility to house BioMed 21 research at Washington University Medical Center

The largest building ever constructed on the campus of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will be the home base for BioMed 21 — the University's innovative research initiative designed to speed scientific discovery and apply breakthroughs to patient care rapidly. The building is supported by a $30 million gift to Washington University's medical school from BJC HealthCare and will be named the BJC Institute of Health at Washington University. More >

BJC Institute of Health established at Washington University with $30 million gift

A $30 million gift from BJC HealthCare will help construct a new 11-story research building on the campus of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. This is the largest donation ever received for construction of a building at the School of Medicine. To be named the BJC Institute of Health at Washington University, the building will house the laboratories and support facilities for BioMed 21, the University's research initiative to rapidly translate basic research findings into advances in medical treatment. More >

Data center construction will support advances in genome sequencing

An important component of BioMed 21, the Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University in St. Louis is a gene-sequencing powerhouse and one of the four such centers in the world. It specializes in large-scale, high-throughput genome sequencing, supplying data that helps researchers at the School of Medicine identify the genetic factors that contribute to disease. More >

$50 million grant will help bring new treatments to patients in St. Louis region

As part of a national effort to translate basic science discoveries into treatments and cures for patients more quickly, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will lead a regional group of institutions under a new $50 million, five-year grant program that will greatly enhance clinical and translational research. More >

Two programs train researchers to conduct clinical investigations

Two recently initiated programs in the School of Medicine are helping prepare the next generation of clinical researchers. The programs, the Mentored Training Program in Clinical Investigation (MTPCI) and the Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Clinical Research Training Program (PICRT), granted degrees and certificates for the first time in May, 2007. More >

Neuroscientists awarded $14 million in two grants

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, a research leader in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke and schizophrenia, will be among the first recipients of a major new National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to facilitate study of nervous system disorders. More >

Virgin named head of pathology and immunology

Herbert W. "Skip" Virgin, M.D., Ph.D., has been named head of the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. More >

Epilepsy drug eases symptoms of inherited disorder that weakens muscles

An epilepsy drug that has been on the market for decades can ease the symptoms of adult sufferers with a genetic disorder that seriously weakens muscles. More >

Susan Dutcher appointed interim head of Department of Genetics

Susan Dutcher, Ph.D., professor of genetics and of cell biology and physiology, has been named interim head of the James S. McDonnell Department of Genetics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. More >

Work on diabetes and heart disease wins WU researcher award

Jean Schaffer, M.D., has won a Clinical Scientists Award in Translational Research from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) to support her work on understanding how diabetes contributes to heart failure. More >

Ellenberger named head of biochemistry and molecular biophysics

Thomas Ellenberger, D.V.M., Ph.D., has been named the Raymond H. Wittcoff Professor and head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. More >

$16 million grant advances nanomedicine at Washington University

Nano-sized particles developed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis offer hope of replacing numerous medical tests, scans, or surgeries with a simple injection. The tiny spheres can travel through the bloodstream deep into the body to locate and highlight tumors undetectable by typical methods. More >

Rubin named director of M.A./M.D. program

Deborah C. Rubin, M.D., has been named director of the Master of Arts and Doctor of Medicine Program (M.A./M.D.) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. More >

$10 million grant enables research on gene-guided chemotherapy

Taking into account that each of us has unique physical characteristics partly determined by variations in our genes, pharmacogenetics researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are finding ways to personalize cancer treatments. More >

Neurotransmitters signal aggressive cancer, offer potential for early diagnosis

Nerves talk to each other using chemicals called neurotransmitters. One of those "communication chemicals," aptly named GABA (gamma amino butyric acid), shows up in unusually high amounts in some aggressive tumors, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. More >

Speed of genome sequencing gets big boost from small package

For technicians in the Genome Sequencing Center (GSC) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, work is going to go a whole lot faster — hundreds of times faster, in fact. Fast enough to sequence the entire genome of a bacterial organism in one day instead of several weeks. More >

New Genetics Division Aims to Transform Pediatric Patient Care

The separate worlds of patient care and genomic science will be brought together in the new Division of Genetics and Genomic Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. More >

Fixing Diabetic Heart Complications is Focus of $14 Million Research Grant

A five-year, $14 million grant will establish a center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis that will develop better ways to prevent and treat heart disease in diabetic patients. More >

W.M. Keck Foundation funds study of "friendly" microbes

You could say that the Human Genome Project missed 99 percent of the genes in the adult body. That's because it didn't sequence genes belonging to the vast communities of bacteria that normally live on and in us. More >

New Method Simplifies Search for Genetic Changes Associated with Disease

It is now significantly easier to search long stretches of DNA for genetic changes associated with disease, thanks to scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. More >

$7.3 Million to Translate Nanomedicine Research into Advances in Heart Care

Miniscule, carefully engineered particles can detect the very beginning stages of clogged arteries in animals, thanks in large part to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. With a new five-year, $7.3 million grant, School of Medicine researchers will begin to translate this breakthrough into clinical advances. More >

Cancer Imaging Agent Shortage Is Focus of $4.7 Million Grant

Scientists at Washington University have received a five-year, $4.7 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to explore new ways to produce, distribute and use radionuclides to detect cancers. More >

WUSTL Genome Center Is Major Contributor To ‘Finished’ Human Genome Sequence

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and colleagues in the International Human Genome Sequencing Project have published their scientific description of the finished human genome, reducing the estimated number of human genes from 35,000 to only 20,000-25,000, a surprisingly low number for our species. More >

NIH Funds Planning of New Center on Diabetes’ Heart Complications

A three-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will help unite faculty in 13 departments at WUSM and other regional experts to develop a plan for an Exploratory Center for Interdisciplinary Research focused on the cardiovascular effects of metabolic disorders such as diabetes. More >

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New Hope Center Combines Area Resources to Study Neurological Diseases

Two St. Louis organizations have teamed up to create the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, a unique collaboration dedicated to basic science research on a broad spectrum of nervous system conditions. More >

New Unit Devoted to Clinical Neurology Research

Clinical trials testing treatments for neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy soon will be conducted under one roof at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. More >