(interview with Dr. Jeff Millman) Tell Us About Yourself My name is Jeff Millman, PhD, and I am a bioengineer within the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research in the Department of Medicine here at WashU. My bioengineering expertise uniquely positions me to pioneer research in a laboratory environment, with a steadfast commitment to […]
Category: Research
Can AI be applied to revolutionize healthcare and medical outcomes? (Links to an external site)
This past September, I had the opportunity to participate in an eye-opening event across the river from my hometown of Boston, MA. The event was a discussion of AI in medicine held on the campus of Harvard University. During the discussion, a senior faculty leader at Harvard Medical School commented to the effect that research […]
$5 million grant supports innovative immunotherapies against blood cancers (Links to an external site)
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society supports trials in cell-based immunotherapies, cancer vaccines
Urano joins podcast to share all you need to know about Wolfram syndrome (Links to an external site)
Recently, Fumihiko Urano, MD, PhD joined “It Happened to Me” podcast hosts Cathy Gildenhorn and Beth Glassman to discuss Wolfram syndrome and his ongoing research. Dr. Urano is the director of the Wolfram Syndrome International Registry & Clinical Study and the doctor of Cathy, who has a variant of the disease.
Dr. Jeffrey Miner’s Research Group Lands KI Journal Cover (Links to an external site)
Congratulations to the research group headed by Jeffrey Miner, PhD, on their recent publication that landed the cover of Kidney International. The colorful cover photograph, illustrating paraffin immunofluorescence of different collagen IV chains, is a figure from their article “Quantitative assessment of glomerular basement membrane (GBM) collagen IV α chains in paraffin sections from patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis […]
High-Dimensional Analyses Reveal IL-15 Enhances Prostate Cancer Immunotherapy
Prostate cancer cellular immunotherapy Russell Pachynski, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Director of Genitourinary (GU) Oncology Research, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, published a paper in Cancer Immunology Research (“High dimensional analyses reveal activation of lymphocyte subsets and reversal of immunoresistance by cytokine-enhanced cellular vaccine therapy in prostate cancer”) […]
HIV Clinicians Represent Critical Point of Access for Treatment of Substance Use
Aditi Ramakrishnan, MD MSc, Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Medicine at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, had a first-author publication in Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (JAIDS), a premier infectious diseases journal, describing the substance use treatment engagement among women with HIV in the […]
Millman shares how bioinformatics can be used to improve diabetes cell therapy (Links to an external site)
On March 5, Jeffrey Millman, PhD was featured on The Sugar Science’s Ask the Expert webinar series, hosted on YouTube. The episode was titled “Unraveling Cellular Complexity in Stem Cell-Derived Islet Identity through Single-Cell Sequencing.”
Mbalaviele Lab Published in eLife (Links to an external site)
The Mbalaviele lab and collaborators found that inflammasomes play a critical role in bone loss in mice caused by the chemotherapeutic drug, doxorubicin. This finding may inspire the development of a tailored adjuvant therapy that preserves the quality of this tissue in patients treated with this class of drugs.
ACC Updates HFrEF Decision Pathway, Reinforcing the Four Pillars of Therapy
The document also strengthens advice regarding which medications should be started in all patients Thomas M. Maddox, MD, MSc, Professor of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division at WashU Medicine, and colleagues recently published an Expert Consensus Decision Pathway (ECDP) for the many decisions required in the management and treatment of patients with heart failure with […]
COVID Linked to Lower IQ, Poor Memory and Other Negative Impacts on Brain Health (Links to an external site)
“COVID-19 poses a serious risk to brain health, even in mild cases, and the effects are now being revealed at the population level,” clinical epidemiologist Ziyad Al-Aly said
Mahjoub Lab Celebrates Recent Publications on Critical Role of Centrosomes in Kidney Development and Function (Links to an external site)
Congratulations to the research team of the Mahjoub Laboratory, who are celebrating their multiple recent publications, one of which landed the cover of the journal JCI Insight.
Scheller Lab and Colleagues Published in JCI Insight (Links to an external site)
Members of the Scheller Lab in collaboration with the Milbrandt and DiAntonio groups at WashU published a paper in JCI Insight in which they found that loss of Sarm1 could completely protect female mice against the development of bone loss and severe osteoblast suppression secondary to type 1 diabetes.
Phase 3 Trial of Breast Cancer Published in JAMA Oncology (Links to an external site)
Cynthia Ma , MD, PhD, lead author and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Oncology along with her colleagues Kiran Vij, Jeremy Hoog, Mark Watson and Erika Crouch in the Department of Pathology investigated the role of neoadjuvant anastrazole, fulvestrant or the combination in a multi-institutional trial.
In vivo ablation of NFκB cascade effectors alleviates disease burden in myeloproliferative neoplasms
Study in Blood dissecting the role of NFκB signaling effectors in MPN disease biology Stephen T. Oh, MD, PhD, Co-Chief and Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and has been published in Blood. The WashU group of researchers previously identified hyperactivation of NFκB […]
New long COVID study uncovers high inflammation in patients as Senate calls for more research on ‘crisis’ (Links to an external site)
The study followed 113 patients at four different hospitals in Switzerland. A new study in Science is shining a light on the continuing impact of long COVID, with research revealing further and continuing health concerns for some of the 16 million sufferers in the U.S.
Study reveals clues to how Eastern equine encephalitis virus invades brain cells (Links to an external site)
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have determined how Eastern equine encephalitis virus attaches to a receptor it uses to enter and infect cells. The whole virus is shown on the left and a magnified view of the viral structural proteins on the right. The findings laid the groundwork for a […]
WashU Kidney O’Brien Center Takes CKD Research to the Next Level through Team Science (Links to an external site)
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a highly under-recognized disease that affects almost 15% of the US population and carries significant morbidity and mortality. Although important scientific advances promise to accelerate CKD research, many are not accessible to the kidney research community due to limited expertise and/or the need for expensive equipment.
Noninvasive technique helps visualize inflammatory cells in human heart (Links to an external site)
A study in Nature Cardiovascular Research by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis explores a new, noninvasive imaging technique that helps scientists visualize immune cells in the human heart.
Brown, Urano and colleagues publish an article on a potential treatment for human, preclinical Wolfram syndrome cases (Links to an external site)
On March 30, Cris Brown, BA and Fumihiko Urano, MD, PhD of Urano Lab, alongside colleagues from Belgique, Belgium and Italy, had their article titled “GLP-1R agonists demonstrate potential to treat Wolfram syndrome in human preclinical models,” published in Diabetologia.
Innovative Cancer Treatment May Sometimes Cause Cancer, F.D.A. Says (Links to an external site)
A lifesaving cancer treatment may itself cause cancers, the Food and Drug Administration reported on Tuesday. The treatment, called CAR-T, was first approved in November 2017 for life-threatening blood cancers. But, the F.D.A. said, it had received 19 reports of new blood cancers in patients who received the treatment.
Radiation therapy may be potential heart failure treatment (Links to an external site)
Radiotherapy may improve heart function by reducing inflammatory immune cells Cardiologists and radiation oncologists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis pioneered the use of radiation therapy — a strategy typically used against cancer — to treat patients with a life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular tachycardia.
Researchers identify way to block alphavirus infection (Links to an external site)
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found an innovative way to block infection by a variety of alphaviruses, a group of mosquito-borne viruses that can cause joint and brain infections in people. The study, led by Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, the Herbert S. Gasser Professor of Medicine, and Daved […]
Ying Maggie Chen Lab and Collaborators Uncover Biotherapeutic Properties of MANF Protein (Links to an external site)
In their newly-published article in Nature Communications, a multi-center group led by Ying Maggie Chen, MD, PhD, WashU Division of Nephrology, describes previously unknown mechanisms of action of mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) and its therapeutic function, with regards to kidney disease. MANF is a secreted endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein that possesses cytoprotective properties.
Epigenome’s role in cancer revealed in new study (Links to an external site)
Epigenetics of cancer critical in understanding tumor initiation, growth and spreading For decades, scientists have been sequencing the DNA of many cancer types, identifying errors in the genetic code to help understand the formation of tumors, how they grow and what leads to their spreading. But sometimes cancer is driven by subtle changes in the […]
Siteman Investment Program awards $2 million in cancer research grants (Links to an external site)
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine is pleased to announce funding for eight new projects, including research projects focused on prostate cancer, lymphoma, and breast cancer, as well as a team science project with a focus on myeloproliferative neoplasms, a blood malignancy that can develop into acute myeloid leukemia. Also included are two […]
Medicare approves WashU Medicine’s whole-genome test for blood cancers (Links to an external site)
Complete picture of genetic errors can advance precision medicine approaches to treatment A new test for two blood cancers — developed by a team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis — is the first whole-genome sequencing test for cancer to be approved for reimbursement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. […]
Scientists reveal how proteins drive growth of multiple cancer types (Links to an external site)
Understanding of molecular basis of cancer may lead to new therapies Scientists have completed a deep analysis of the proteins driving cancer across multiple tumor types, information that can’t be assessed by genome sequencing alone. Understanding how proteins operate in cancer cells raises the prospect of new therapies that block key proteins that drive cancer […]
Scientists develop breath test that rapidly detects COVID-19 virus (Links to an external site)
Test results available in less than a minute Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a breath test that quickly identifies those who are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. The device requires only one or two breaths and provides results in less than a minute.
Kidney tissue atlas serves as blueprint for understanding kidney injury, disease (Links to an external site)
Research collaboration details molecular knowledge, step toward personalized medicine Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are among the leaders of a multi-institution research team that has built an atlas focused on the kidney’s myriad cells. The aim of the kidney tissue atlas is to further the understanding of kidney injury and disease.
Anti-inflammatory drugs did not speed COVID-19 recovery but prevented deaths (Links to an external site)
Study could expand treatment options for patients with severe COVID-19 Two drugs commonly used to treat inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis did not shorten recovery time for patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 but did reduce the likelihood of death when compared with standard care alone, according to a national study led by […]
In battling obesity and prediabetes, combining exercise with weight loss is key (Links to an external site)
Insulin sensitivity improved twofold when exercise paired with 10% weight loss Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that combining regular exercise with a 10% loss of body weight more than doubles sensitivity to insulin, compared with a 10% weight loss without exercise. Enhanced sensitivity to insulin has important health […]
Deadly Fungal Infections Confound Doctors—‘It’s Going to Get Worse’ (Links to an external site)
Once a freak occurrence, fungi resistant to standard drugs now threaten millions of vulnerable Americans It took doctors a month to figure out a fungus had infected Glenda Brame’s bloodstream. The delay likely led to her death. The 56-year-old died in September, felled by a fungus that kills between 30% and 60% of people it […]
Maternal vitamin D deficiency increases lifetime diabetes risk in offspring (Links to an external site)
Studies in mice and in human immune cells link low prenatal vitamin D in mothers to insulin resistance in offspring Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a process in immune cells that links vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in offspring. The […]
Kidney donor updates for those with HCV and COVID-19
The association of donor hepatitis C virus infection with 3-year kidney transplant outcomes in the era of direct-acting antiviral medications Tarek Alhamad, MD, MS, MBA, Associate Professor of Medicine, Medical Director of Transplant Nephrology, Division of Nephrology, recently had two manuscripts published in JAMA Open and the American Journal of Transplantation regarding new findings of […]
Scanning electron microscopy of human islet cilia (Links to an external site)
Primary cilia are vital cell-surface sensory organelles, but their physical dimensions have eluded characterization due to difficulty in isolating and studying these enigmatic structures, especially in human tissues. In the present study, we use a multi-scale surface scanning approach to enable a 3D architectural study of human primary cilia, the first in pancreatic islets and […]
Findings may lead to improved insulin-secreting cells derived from stem cells (Links to an external site)
Diabetes researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered at least one reason insulin-secreting cells made from stem cells in the lab don’t work as well as natural cells. The discovery could help speed progress toward making insulin-secreting cells — called islet beta cells — more effective in the treatment of […]
Dr. Fumihiko Urano featured in PBS Wolfram syndrome documentary (Links to an external site)
In April, Fumihiko Urano, MD, PhD was featured in the documentary “Colorado Voices: Ellie White,” to raise awareness of the rare genetic disorder, Wolfram syndrome. The short documentary was published by Rocky Mountain PBS and tells the story of Colorado college student Ellie White, who lives with the disorder. Although the disorder is very rare […]
Red flags indicate risk for early-onset colorectal cancer (Links to an external site)
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified four important signs and symptoms that signal an elevated risk of early-onset colorectal cancer. These red flags may be key to earlier detection and diagnosis of early-onset colorectal cancer among younger adults. The number of young adults with colorectal cancer has nearly doubled […]
Kulkarni Lab investigates modulating host immune response in the lungs in severe pneumonia
Hrishikesh Kulkarni MD, MSCI, from the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine recently had two manuscripts published in Science Immunology and a Phase 3 clinical Trial on complement inhibition in COVID-19 in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Lung epithelial cell–derived C3 protects against pneumonia-induced lung injury The complement cascade is made up of innate immune defense proteins that protect […]
Grant supports training physician-scientists in cancer research (Links to an external site)
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support training and mentorship for early-career physician-scientists. This relatively new funding opportunity — called Stimulating Access to Research During Residency (StARR) — will provide support for early-career physicians pursuing careers in cancer research.
Noninvasive electromyometrial imaging (EMMI) of human uterine maturation during term labor
EMMI helps assess uterine contractions to aid in preventing preterm deliveries Dr. Phillip Cuculich, Cardiovascular Division at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, shared new findings that were published in Nature Communication. The group of doctors led by Dr. Yong Wang, published the “first-in-woman” study blending the disciplines of cardiac electrophysiology and obstetrics. […]
Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (SSCI) – Important Upcoming Deadlines
SSCI Research Scholar Award Deadline – September 1Details and information on this $25,000 (plus 10% indirect costs) pilot funding award can be found at here. SRM 2023 Abstract Deadline – October 7Information on SRM 2023 and abstract submission will soon be available on our website. Abstract submission site will open August 1. SSCI Mentor of […]
University joins NIH initiative to create diverse national biomedical data resource (Links to an external site)
As part of ‘All of Us’ research program, School of Medicine will seek to enroll local participants
Sugar-sweetened drinks linked to increased risk of colorectal cancer in women under 50 (Links to an external site)
Sugary beverage consumption in adolescence, young adulthood associated with increased risk
Anti-aging compound that improves metabolic health in mice improves muscle glucose metabolism in people (Links to an external site)
Further studies underway to determine extent of clinical benefits
Chemo for glioblastoma may work better in morning than evening (Links to an external site)
Study indicates timing of chemotherapy could improve treatment for deadly brain cancer
Scientists find genetic link to clogged arteries (Links to an external site)
Independent of cholesterol, gene variants raise risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure
Zika virus helps destroy deadly brain cancer in mice (Links to an external site)
Virus-based therapy may unlock potential of immunotherapy for glioblastoma
Promising role for whole genome sequencing in guiding blood cancer treatment (Links to an external site)
Sequencing results returned in a few days; costs similar to conventional testing