Category: Research

Healthy brains suppress inappropriate immune responses (Links to an external site)

Researchers at WashU Medicine have found a process by which the brain guards against attack by the immune system. In mice with multiple sclerosis, such “guardian” proteins that train the immune system were drastically depleted, and replenishing them improved symptoms, according to a study in Nature.

Your diet can change your immune system — here’s how (Links to an external site)

Many laboratories are interested in harnessing the immune system to treat one of today’s most pressing health concerns: obesity. Steven Van Dyken, an immunologist at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, has been studying an immune response usually triggered in response to allergens and parasites, to see whether it could help to regulate metabolism.

Celebrating Our Faculty’s Contributions to Nobel-Winning Research

The Department of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University in St. Louis is proud to announce that two of our faculty members, Joseph Corbo, MD, PhD and Gautam Dantas, PhD have played significant roles in the groundbreaking research that contributed to this year’s Nobel Prize recipients in Physiology or Medicine and Chemistry. Joseph Corbo’s Collaboration […]

Gut bacteria boost immune response to fight tumors

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a strain of gut bacteria can boost immune responses and enhance cancer immunotherapy to fight sarcoma tumors in mice. This paper also demonstrates the power of collaboration from leaders in the fields of immunology, cancer immune therapy, and gut microbiome. https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/gut-bacteria-boost-immune-response-to-fight-tumors/

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 […]

Ravichadran lab post-doc awarded grant from Knights Templar Eye Foundation

Dr. Ammar Abdelrahman, a post-doctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Kodi Ravichandran, has received a one-year grant from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation for his project “Targeting Retinal Glial Efferocytosis as a Novel Intervention Strategy in Retinopathy of Prematurity.”

Gordon receives Kober Medal (Links to an external site)

Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, has been awarded the George M. Kober Medal from the Association of American Physicians in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of gut microbiome research. Gordon, director of the Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is considered to be […]

Zika virus helps destroy deadly brain cancer in mice (Links to an external site)

The Zika virus that ravaged the Americas, leaving many babies with permanent brain damage, may have a silver lining. The virus can activate immune cells to destroy an aggressive brain cancer in mice, giving a powerful boost to an immunotherapy drug and sparking long-lasting immunological memory that can ward off tumor recurrence for at least […]

Antibodies protect against wide range of influenza B virus strains (Links to an external site)

Researchers have identified two antibodies that protect mice against lethal infections of influenza B virus, report scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Together with an antibody that targets the other major kind of influenza viruses that infect people — influenza A — these […]

Immune system affects mind and body, study indicates (Links to an external site)

New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis helps illuminate a surprising mind-body connection. In mice, the researchers found that immune cells surrounding the brain produce a molecule that is then absorbed by neurons in the brain, where it appears to be necessary for normal behavior.

Washington University develops COVID-19 saliva test (Links to an external site)

A new saliva test to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been developed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Results from the COVID-19 diagnostic test are available in a few hours and, ideally, able to be communicated to people tested within a day. Highly sensitive to detecting even tiny levels of […]

New center to explore brain, immune system connections (Links to an external site)

As the brain reigns supreme over the human body, the immune system works 24/7 to defend the body from foreign invaders. For decades, however, the brain and the immune system were thought to operate independently of one another. But a growing body of evidence suggests the two are intimately connected in keeping the body healthy.

Jeff Gordon Featured on 60 Minutes

On Sunday, 60 Minutes featured our own Jeff Gordon, who discussed the gut microbiome and its connection to nutritional health, including the use of probiotics. The possibility of improving health by manipulating the microbiome could provide many benefits to individuals suffering from a host of health conditions. Last year, Gordon’s team reported that a special […]

COVID-19 antibody tests evaluated as diagnostic test in low-resource settings (Links to an external site)

With Brazil leading the world in newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases, Latin America has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, outbreaks continue to escalate in parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Public health authorities worldwide desperately need to expand testing so they can track the spread of the infection, but molecular diagnostic […]

COVID-19 mouse model will speed search for drugs, vaccines (Links to an external site)

The global effort to quickly develop drugs and vaccines for COVID-19 has been hampered by limited numbers of laboratory mice that are susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report they have developed a mouse model of COVID-19 that replicates the […]

Abstract Receives Award from Society for Pediatric Pathology

An abstract co-authored and entitled, “PD-L1/PD-1 Expression in Wilms Tumor: Analysis of 52 cases” has won the Gordon F. Vawter Pathologist-in-Training Award at the Society for Pediatric Pathology 2020 at its Spring Meeting in Los Angeles, CA. The award recognizes meritorious work presented by Jeff Chen, MD based on research conducted by a group of […]

Grants & Notables – November and December

$60,000 in grants awarded to faculty in Pathology & Immunology Grants Rafa Sanguinetti Czepielewski, PhD, Postdoc Research Associate in the Randolph Lab, received a one-year $60,000 grant from the Lawrence C. Pakula, MD IBD Education, and Innovation Fund, entitled “Role of Mesenteric Tertiary Lymphoid Organs in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Progression and Anti-TNF Resistance”. Noteworthy Jack […]

Gordon Lab Featured in Science Magazine (Links to an external site)

Work from the lab of Jeffery Gordon, MD was recently featured in Science as a runner up for Breakthrough of The Year. This title is awarded yearly by the journal Science to recognize significant discoveries or developments in scientific research. The journal highlighted work by Arjun Raman, MD, PhD (PGY3 Clinical Pathology Resident) and others […]

Grants & Notables Update: September-October 2019

Over $3 million in grants awarded to faculty in Pathology & Immunology. GRANTS Cole John Ferguson, MD, Instructor in Pathology and Immunology, received a five-year $164,015 grant from The National Institutes of Health, entitled “Ubiquitin Signaling in Epigenetic Regulation of Neuronal Development”. Chang Liu, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Immunology, received a two-year […]

Clues to improve cancer immunotherapy revealed (Links to an external site)

Cancer immunotherapy drugs trigger the body’s immune system to attack tumors and have revolutionized the treatment of certain cancers, such as lymphoma, lung cancer and melanoma. Yet, while some patients respond well to the drugs, others don’t respond at all. Cancer immunologists want to change that.

Trainees & Faculty Attend American Society of Dermatopathology

A number of Pathology & Immunology trainees and a faculty member had the amazing opportunity to present research at this year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Dermatopathology. The meeting was held October 17-20 in San Diego, CA. The experience, according to one trainee, was very educational, with lots of feedback on their work […]

Awardees Announced for Trainee Research Day 2019

The Department of Pathology & Immunology hosted its annual Trainee Research Day which celebrates research by residents and clinical fellows. It featured presentations both oral and poster from trainees.

Probiotic bacteria evolve inside mice’s GI tracts

Probiotics – which are living bacteria taken to promote digestive health – can evolve once inside the body and have the potential to become less effective and sometimes even harmful, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Trailblazer Award Brings Washington Univeristy Faculty Together

Eynav Klechevsky, assistant professor of pathology and immunology and Amit Pathak assistant professor of mechanical engineering & material science in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University were awarded a three-year, $610,000 Trailblazer Award, from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. This award provides funding to continue their […]