Preemies’ gut bacteria may depend more on gestational age than environment
The population of bacteria in premature infants’ guts may depend more on the babies’ biological makeup and gestational age at birth than on environmental factors, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found. They discovered that bacterial communities assemble in a choreographed progression, with the pace of that assembly slowest in infants born most prematurely.
Mardis, Wilson named to endowed professorships
Elaine R. Mardis, PhD, and Richard K. Wilson, PhD, both renowned for discoveries in the field of genomics, have been named to endowed professorships. They were installed by Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton (far left), and Larry J. Shapiro, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine (far right).
Study shows 1 in 5 women with ovarian cancer has inherited predisposition
A new study conservatively estimates that one in five women with ovarian cancer has inherited genetic mutations that increase the risk of the disease, according to research by the School of Medicine’s Li Ding, PhD, and her colleagues.
Mardis makes Discover’s list of top 2013 stories
Elaine Mardis, co-director of The Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is featured in Discover magazine’s “100 Top Stories of 2013,” for her pioneering work in cancer genomics.
NIH support fosters diversity among PhD trainees
Washington University has received a $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to foster student diversity in its PhD training program in the biomedical sciences. Pictured are inaugural scholars from the program.
New clue to aggressive brain tumors
Scientists at the School of Medicine have identified a biological marker that may help predict overall survival of people with deadly brain tumors. The marker is made by noncancerous cells known as monocytes (pictured in brown).
Database of disease genes shows potential drug therapies
Twin brothers Obi and Malachi Griffith and their colleagues at The Genome Institute have created a massive online database that matches thousands of genes linked to cancer and other diseases with drugs that target those genes.
New models of drug-resistant breast cancer hint at better treatments
Breast cancer that spreads to other organs is extremely difficult to treat. Doctors can buy patients time, but a cure remains elusive. Now, researchers at the School of Medicine have shown that human breast tumors transplanted into mice are excellent models of metastatic cancer and could be valuable tools in the search for better treatments. Shown are human breast cancer cells (red) growing amid mouse cells (green).
DNA study reveals clues to human, ape evolution
New research provides one of the most detailed and comprehensive analyses yet of the genetic diversity of endangered great apes living in the wild, revealing new clues to the evolution of apes and humans.
Wilson named world’s ‘Hottest Researcher’
Richard Wilson, PhD, director of The Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine, was named the world’s most-cited researcher by Thomson Reuters’ ScienceWatch. The list of most influential researchers also included Elaine Mardis, PhD, Li Ding, PhD, and Robert Fulton, all of The Genome Institute.
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