Gift from Andy Newman supports world-changing research on the gut microbiome
Category: Neurogenetics & Transcriptomics
Epilepsy drug prevents brain tumors in mice with NF1
Study lays groundwork for clinical trial aimed at preventing brain tumors in children with NF1
Focused ultrasound technique gets quality assurance protocol
For the past several years, Washington University in St. Louis researchers have been using focused ultrasound combined with microbubbles to target an opening in the tough, protective blood-brain barrier to deliver drugs or retrieve biomarkers. To ensure that the fast-developing technology functions safely and consistently, Hong Chen, PhD, and her team, including first author and […]
Immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease shows promise in mouse study
Alzheimer’s disease starts with a sticky protein called amyloid beta that builds up into plaques in the brain, setting off a chain of events that results in brain atrophy and cognitive decline. The new generation of Alzheimer’s drugs — the first proven to change the course of the disease — work by tagging amyloid for […]
Alzheimer’s blood test performs as well as FDA-approved spinal fluid tests
Could make early Alzheimer’s diagnosis, treatment accessible to more people
Gordon receives Nemmers Prize
Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the 2024 Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science from Northwestern University. Gordon was selected for the prize by a jury of distinguished U.S. scientists for transforming the understanding of human health and how it is shaped by the gut […]
Zipfel receives Dacey award for cerebrovascular research
Honor named after mentor, former head of neurosurgery department
Life span increases in mice when specific brain cells are activated
Brain cells communicate with fat tissue to produce cellular fuel, counteract effects of aging
Gut bacteria of malnourished children benefit from key elements in therapeutic food
Findings could guide recommendations for treating, preventing childhood malnutrition
Device for noninvasive brain biopsies via blood draw moves closer to market approval
FDA grants WashU-based technology ‘Breakthrough Device’ designation
Three named 2023 Young Investigator grantees
Sarah D. Ackerman, PhD, Gabor Egervari, MD, PhD and Tao Xie, PhD, all of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have been named 2023 Young Investigator grantees by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. This year’s funding will support 150 promising early-career scientists across the field of neuropsychiatry with innovative ideas in mental health research. The two-year grant […]
Gordon receives Albany Prize
One of 3 researchers honored for their research on how microbiomes function
Noninvasive, ultrasound-based brain biopsy is feasible, safe in people
Sonobiopsies generate genetic, molecular data to inform treatment decisions for brain diseases
Yi and Gabel receive grants to study autism-related disorders
Jason Yi, PhD, an assistant professor of neuroscience, and Harrison Gabel, PhD, an associate professor of neuroscience, both at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, each have received two-year $300,000 pilot grants from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. The researchers will use the funds to investigate genetic diseases that result in autism. […]
How do toxic proteins accumulate in Alzheimer’s and other diseases?
Key steps leading to such accumulation identified; could inform new therapeutic approaches
New Technique for Diagnosing Brain Diseases is Successfully Put to the Test
Hong Chen, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering and radiation oncology at Washington University in St. Louis, is dedicated to what may seem like the impossible. “This constant puzzle of what’s happening in my brain.” Chen is referring to all human brains that share this complexity. And getting answers to serious problems can be very […]
NIH funds study of ultrasound with genetics to treat brain disorders
Researchers have developed methods to study and manipulate areas of the brain, though many of those methods are restricted by the limited depth that light can reach within the brain. A multidisciplinary team at Washington University in St. Louis plans to overcome that limitation by integrating ultrasound with genetics to precisely modify neurons in the […]
Tau-based biomarker tracks Alzheimer’s progression
Two pathologies drive the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Early on, amyloid beta plaques lead the way, but around the time cognitive symptoms arise, tau tangles take over as the driving force and cognition steadily declines. Tracking the course of the disease in individual patients has been challenging because there’s been no easy way to measure […]
Diagnosis of rare, genetic muscle disease improved by new approach
Accurate diagnosis is a crucial step toward appropriate treatment
Gordon wins Spain’s Asturias Award
Microbiome pioneer Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has won the 2023 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research. The Asturias awards, among the most prestigious honors in the Spanish-speaking world, are presented annually in eight categories. The awards are designed to recognize exceptional scientific, technical, cultural, […]
Induction of a torpor-like state with ultrasound
Some mammals and birds have a clever way to preserve energy and heat by going into torpor, during which their body temperature and metabolic rate drop to allow them to survive potentially fatal conditions in the environment, such as extreme cold or lack of food. While a similar condition was proposed for scientists making flights […]
Findings may lead to improved insulin-secreting cells derived from stem cells
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 […]
Bagnall wins grant to map neuronal connections
Martha Bagnall, PhD, an assistant professor of neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, received a $1.9 million R01 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to map neuronal connections in the zebrafish spinal cord. The Bagnall lab studies motor control […]
Insight into brain’s waste clearing system may shed light on brain diseases
Like the lymphatic system in the body, the glymphatic system in the brain clears metabolic waste and distributes nutrients and other important compounds. Impairments in this system may contribute to brain diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases and stroke. A team of researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has […]
Bateman to receive lifetime achievement award
Recognized for contributions to Alzheimer’s disease research
Gabel Lab identifies molecular links between Sotos and Tatton Brown Rahman Syndromes
Sotos Syndrome and Tatton Brown Rahman Syndrome bear striking similarities, so much so that patients with one have been misdiagnosed as having the other. Both rare diseases cause large stature and head size, also known as overgrowth, distinct facial features, a high prevelance of autism, and intellectual disability. But the two diseases have different genetic […]
Multiple substance use disorders may share inherited genetic signature
Findings could lead to universal therapies for alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, opioid addictions
Adding med to antidepressant may help older adults with treatment-resistant depression
For older adults with clinical depression that has not responded to standard treatments, adding the drug aripiprazole (brand name Abilify) to an antidepressant they’re already taking is more effective than switching from one antidepressant to another, according to a new multicenter study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Aripiprazole originally was […]
Focused ultrasound technique leads to release of neurodegenerative disorders biomarkers
Research could facilitate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease
Gordon receives Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research
‘Father of the field’ honored for gut microbiome research
Gut bacteria affect brain health, mouse study shows
Findings suggest new approach to treating Alzheimer’s, other neurodegenerative diseases
Board of Trustees grants tenure
At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 2, several faculty members were granted tenure. Their new roles took effect Dec. 2. Granting of tenure Marlon M. Bailey as professor of African and African American studies and of women, gender, and sexuality studies, both in Arts & Sciences; Adam Q. Bauer, PhD as […]
Herzog installed as Viktor Hamburger Distinguished Professor
Installation talk, titled “For Whom the Bells Toll: Networked Circadian Clocks and Clock Watchers”
Rejuvenated immune cells can improve clearance of toxic waste from brain
Findings in mice suggest new therapeutic approach to Alzheimer’s, other age-related diseases
Understanding, treating pain, reducing opioid use, aim of $11.7 million grant
Funding from NIH HEAL Initiative
A sound approach for effective gene therapy delivery to brain
Hong Chen’s lab develops noninvasive focused ultrasound intranasal delivery method
$9 million to fund study of ‘jumping genes’ in Alzheimer’s
Researchers from several labs to study role of transposable elements
Cruchaga awarded Zenith Fellowship Award
Recognizes scientist’s contributions to Alzheimer’s disease research
Scientists ID pathway that triggers mice to scratch when they see others do the same
Behavior surprisingly does not require brain’s visual cortex
Problems persist for kids exposed to cannabis in the womb
Research finds kids with prenatal exposure show more signs of psychopathology
New practical method of producing Airy beams could enhance ultrasound
Hong Chen’s lab develops technique to generate Airy beams for ultrasound focusing
Study points to new approach to clearing toxic waste from brain
Could aid efforts to find treatments for Alzheimer’s, other diseases
New center’s aim: To ID biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases
A new center established at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis aims to accelerate research into biomarkers of neurodegenerative conditions such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS) and the so-called tauopathies, a group that includes Alzheimer’s disease along with rarer diseases such as frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal syndrome […]
Wearable ultrasound sensors for human brain in development
A submarine can inadvertently reveal its location because of cavitation, a condition that creates bubbles underwater that burst, then emit sound waves that can be detected by sonar. A team of biomedical engineers at Washington University in St. Louis plans to use the same concept to detect cavitation in human brains that may contribute to […]
Epilepsy drug stops nervous system tumor growth in mice
Hyperactive neurons drive tumor growth in NF1 cancer predisposition syndrome
Neural pathway key to sensation of pleasant touch identified
Similar to itch, pleasant touch transmitted by specific neuropeptide and neural circuit
Calming overexcited neurons may protect brain after stroke
New data prompts reconsideration of decades-old theory about brain injury due to stroke
Risk, resiliency in aging brain focus of $33 million grant
Multicenter team aims to understand how, why brain changes with age
Low-cost, 3D printed device may broaden use of focused ultrasound technique
Hong Chen’s lab created an $80 device that is accurate and easy to use
Boosting T cells improves survival in mice with glioblastoma
Treatment with interleukin-7 revs up immune system against deadly brain tumor