University launches new era of progress in neuroscience

Understanding the brain and nervous system is one of the most pressing challenges in medicine. To meet this challenge, WashU Medicine has built and is opening the Neuroscience Research Building, a 609,000-square-foot facility expected to be among the nation’s premier neuroscience research hubs.

Team to develop breathalyzer test for COVID, RSV, influenza A

WashU researchers will adapt their COVID-19-detecting breathalyzer to one that can also screen for common seasonal viruses with a two-year $3.6 million grant from Flu Lab. They plan to take the technology from the bench into clinical trials.

Migrant teen study points to need for support at school

Adolescence can be particularly stressful for teens who resettle in an unfamiliar country. Brown School researchers have been studying challenges for those who resettled from the Middle East and North Africa. They find that schools play an important role in fostering resilience and helping teens adjust.

Curiel, Janetka named fellows of National Academy of Inventors

David T. Curiel, MD, PhD (left), and James W. Janetka, PhD, professors at the School of Medicine, have been elected fellows of the National Academy of Inventors. The recognition represents the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors.

Notables

Michelle Oyen, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, has been named among the 200 Trailblazing Leaders in Women’s Health and FemTech for 2023 by Women of Wearables.

Research Wire

Matthew A. Ciorba, MD, a professor of medicine and director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at the School of Medicine, has received a $2.8 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to evaluate a new treatment for colorectal cancer.

Announcements

Have a green holiday – reduce energy, recycle lights

The Office of Sustainability offers tips for reducing energy use during the winter break. It’s also hosting the annual holiday lights recycling drive through Feb. 2.