Washington University

Months after recovering from mild cases of COVID-19, people still have immune cells in their body pumping out antibodies against the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Such cells could persist for a lifetime, churning out antibodies all the while. The findings, published May 24 in the journal Nature, suggest

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has joined the All of Us Research Program, an initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that seeks to recruit 1 million volunteers to build a detailed biomedical data resource that reflects the breadth and diversity of the U.S. population. Washington University will help enroll participants who represent the rich diversity of the St

A new study by WashU Med maternal-fetal medicine researchers shows that the novel coronavirus infects maternal and fetal cells in the placenta and alters the balance of hormones that regulate blood pressure. This finding, published in the journal Med, helps explain why coronavirus infection has been linked to serious pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, that threaten the health of both

Nursing mothers who receive a COVID-19 vaccine may pass protective antibodies to their babies through breast milk for at least 80 days following vaccination, suggests new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, opioid misuse has continued unabated in the United States, with an estimated 2.5 million or more Americans suffering from opioid use disorder. Most people treated for the disorder are given medications, such as buprenorphine, that activate opioid receptors. But there is disagreement about whether it’s safe to prescribe buprenorphine for people who also take

New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that three new, fast-spreading variants of the virus that cause COVID-19 can evade antibodies that work against the original form of the virus that sparked the pandemic. With few exceptions, whether such antibodies were produced in response to vaccination or natural infection, or were purified antibodies intended for

One could say she has community in her heart. Rev. Dr. Paulette Sankofa, EdD, grew up in the St. Louis West End and remembers the tight community connections, particularly among older adults that was commonplace at that time. It is this sense of community and respect for seniors instilled as a young child that has shaped much of her life’s work. Today, Sankofa is the founder and executive director

For certain blood cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), deciding whether patients need an aggressive treatment typically hinges on a set of lab tests to identify genetic changes. Some of these tests rely on technology that was invented more than 60 years ago and has been used clinically for the past three decades.

Neuropathic pain affects millions of Americans every year. This fact combined with the nationwide crisis of opioid misuse reinforces the need for safer and more effective therapies to help those suffering from chronic pain. In tandem with efforts from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and in an effort to advance research in this arena, in 2017 the ICTS offered a new funding

The CTRFP is the largest internal grant funding program of the ICTS. Applicants are required to submit proposals for projects that promote the translation of scientific discoveries into improvements in human health. For 2021, awards were considered across three project categories: clinical/translational, community-engaged research, and biostatistics, epidemiology, and research design.

“The only way forward is to control this by vaccination.” — William Powderly, MD, Director, Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences

The proverbial saying ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ is frequently used to explain how great innovations are made during times of urgent need. Never has the need been direr than when the COVID pandemic hit in March 2020 and health care providers were struggling to find treatments for patients fighting this new and deadly disease. It was during this time, ICTS investigator Eric Lenze, MD

One of the most vexing aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is doctors’ inability to predict which newly hospitalized patients will go on to develop severe disease, including complications that require the insertion of a breathing tube, kidney dialysis or other intensive care. Knowledge of a patient’s age and underlying medical conditions can help predict such outcomes, but there are still surprises

COVID-19 vaccine development has been rapid and successful. Two vaccines that report more than 90% efficacy against the virus already are in use, with approval of more vaccines expected in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the development of treatments for those infected with the virus has been slower. Only one drug, the steroid dexamethasone, has been proven to reduce the risk of death in those

Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), spoke Thursday, Jan. 7, about the state of the COVID-19 pandemic as part of Washington University Department of Medicine’s virtual, weekly Grand Rounds. The online talk — part of the Gerald Medoff Visiting Professor Grand Rounds lecture series — was free and open to

In a preliminary study of COVID-19 patients with mild-to-moderate disease who were attempting to recover in their homes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the drug fluvoxamine seems to prevent some of the most serious complications of the illness and make hospitalization and the need for supplemental oxygen less likely.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a two-year, $5 million grant to offer 50,000 saliva tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to students, teachers and staff in the six special education schools operated by the Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD).

In 2015 Kenneth Remy, MD, MHSc arrived in St. Louis to join the Washington University School of Medicine faculty as an assistant professor of pediatrics and launched his lab studying the intersection of transfusion hematology and immune dysregulation. He was fresh off a National Institutes of Health (NIH) fellowship in Bethesda, Maryland, gaining experience that helped to shape his future career

COVID-19 Research Funding Program awardee, Philip Mudd, MD, PhD led study of multidisciplinary Washington University School of Medicine investigators collaborating with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital researchers to discover respiratory failure in COVID-19 usually not driven by cytokine storm.

The effort to find a COVID-19 vaccine that can prevent the disease includes St. Louisans willing to help. Residents in the St. Louis area are called on to play a role in the fight against COVID-19 by participating in clinical trials testing a variety of investigational vaccines. Residents have the opportunity to be selected as participants for different trials, currently as many as six large-scale

Lindsay to serve as co-chair for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute’s (PCORI) Advisory Panel on Rare Diseases, one of five multi-stakeholder advisory panels.

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 and corneal tissue, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a pair of grants totaling $11.3 million to study genetic and environmental factors that contribute to developmental disabilities and to find new ways to improve the lives of children and adults affected by such disabilities. The grants — a five-year award from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child

Trying to manage funding a lab while running a lab can be challenging for even the most experienced investigator. For Hong Chen, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis and of radiation oncology at the School of Medicine, the ICTS provided invaluable assistance on her path to fund research on using ultrasound to