Kidney donor updates for those with HCV and COVID-19

Tarek Alhamad, MD, MS

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 […]

Dr. Fumihiko Urano featured in PBS Wolfram syndrome documentary  (Links to an external site)

Dr. Fumihiko Urano

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

Noninvasive electromyometrial imaging of human uterine maturations 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 […]

Cornea appears to resist infection from novel coronavirus (Links to an external site)

New findings from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest the eye’s cornea can resist infection from the novel coronavirus. Although the herpes simplex virus can infect the cornea and spread to other parts of the body in patients with compromised immune systems, and Zika virus has been found in tears […]

Washington University begins recruiting participants for phase 3 COVID-19 investigational vaccine clinical trial (Links to an external site)

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is a testing site for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson’s phase 3 clinical research study, called the ENSEMBLE trial, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Janssen’s investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate, JNJ-78436735, also known as Ad26.COV2.S.

Study provides insight on how to build a better flu vaccine (Links to an external site)

Flu season comes around like clockwork every year, and sooner or later everyone gets infected. The annual flu shot is a key part of public health efforts to control the flu, but the vaccine’s effectiveness is notoriously poor, falling somewhere from 40% to 60% in a typical year. A growing body of evidence suggests that […]

Nasal vaccine against COVID-19 prevents infection in mice (Links to an external site)

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a vaccine that targets the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can be given in one dose via the nose and is effective in preventing infection in mice susceptible to the novel coronavirus. The investigators next plan to test the vaccine in nonhuman primates and humans to […]

Major weight loss — whether from surgery or diet — has same metabolic benefits (Links to an external site)

Gastric bypass surgery is the most effective therapy to treat or reverse type 2 diabetes in severely obese patients. Many achieve remission of diabetes following surgery and no longer require diabetes medications. This observation has led to the theory that gastric bypass surgery has unique, weight loss-independent effects in treating diabetes, but this has remained […]

Clinical trial focuses on reducing overactive immune response in COVID-19 (Links to an external site)

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are investigating whether a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat rare diseases of an overactive immune system could help critically ill patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The drug blocks a specific protein of the immune system that doctors suspect contributes to […]

Experimental COVID-19 vaccine prevents severe disease in mice (Links to an external site)

An experimental vaccine is effective at preventing pneumonia in mice infected with the COVID-19 virus, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The vaccine, which is made from a mild virus genetically modified to carry a key gene from the COVID-19 virus, is described in the journal Cell Host […]

Washington University, St. Louis County collaborate on COVID-19 survey (Links to an external site)

Washington University in St. Louis, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health and other collaborators are conducting a survey of St. Louis County residents and offering COVID-19 testing to gauge the prevalence of and risk factors for the illness. Working with the county, Washington University’s Institute for Public Health is teaming up with other local public health and […]