Author: Brittney Wheeler

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have discovered that an FDA-approved epilepsy drug can prevent or slow the growth of NF1-linked optic gliomas in mice, laying the groundwork for a clinical trial.

Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD, the Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor and vice chair of innovation and translation in the John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the 2024 Roger H. Johnson Award.

Eric Thompson, MD, a pediatric neurosurgeon noted for his expertise in caring for children with complex neurological conditions, particularly brain and spinal tumors, has been named director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and neurosurgeon-in-chief at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Siyuan Ding, an assistant professor of molecular microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a Michelson Prize: Next Generation Grant from the Michelson Medical Research Foundation and the Human Immunome Project.

Washington University in St. Louis leaders have selected the two at-large members of the newly created Naming Review Board. They are Steven Rosenblum, of University Advancement, and Russell Schwartz, an Arts & Sciences alumnus who works at the Starz television network.

In a recent study, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Whiterabbit.ai showed that artificial intelligence assistance potentially could improve breast-cancer screening by reducing the number of false positives without missing true positives.

A clinical trial led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is aimed at defining how exercise affects cardiovascular health in people who use wheelchairs.

Philip Needleman, a Washington University in St. Louis emeritus trustee, longtime benefactor and former department head at the School of Medicine, died in an accident Monday, March 25, 2024, in Creve Coeur, Mo. He was 85.

Janine Bijsterbosch, an assistant professor of radiology at the School of Medicine, is part of a team of five co-principal investigators studying how symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress — together known as anxious misery — affect functional brain networks. The team received a $3.6 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

New research at the School of Medicine bolsters previous findings that “polypills” — single pills that combine medications that target cardiovascular disease-related conditions — are beneficial in preventing heart attacks and strokes and reducing deaths. As a result of the study, the World Health Organization has added such polypills to its most recent Model List of Essential Medicines.