In atherosclerosis, plaque builds up on the inner walls of arteries that deliver blood to the body. Studying mice and tissue samples from the arteries of patients, School of Medicine researchers suggest this accumulation is driven, at least in part, by processes similar to the plaque formation implicated in brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Washington University has announced that Leading Together: The Campaign for Washington University is expected to reach its initial, minimum goal of $2.2 billion two years ahead of schedule. The campaign total reached $2.12 billion as of Dec. 31. The Board of Trustees approved a new goal to raise $2.5 billion by June 30, 2018.​​

Student teams worked last fall on projects to commercialize Boeing patents in non-aerospace applications. The challenge, a partnership between the Skandalaris Center and Boeing’s Phantom Works Ventures, announced three winners from that round in December. A new round is getting underway.

At the Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 4, several faculty members were appointed with tenure, granted tenure or promoted with tenure, with most changes taking effect Dec. 4.

An adverse ruling for unions in a case now before the U.S. Supreme Court would be bad news for organized labor. But the setback expected in a decision this summer need not be as dire as some are predicting, suggests labor union expert Jake Rosenfeld, PhD, of Arts & Sciences.