For at least six months after COVID-19 vaccination, antibodies produced by immune cells become steadily more formidable and more precisely targeted against the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a study of the antibody response to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
When South African scientists announced in November that they had identified a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, they also reported two worrying details: one, that this new variant’s genome was strikingly different from that of any previous variant, containing dozens of mutations compared with the original virus that emerged in 2019; and […]
The Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies recently honored Brenda J. Grossman, MD, and Jeffrey P. Henderson, MD, PhD, noted researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, with a 2021 President’s Award.
The American Society for Clinical Investigation recently announced their list of 2022 Young Scientist Awardees, and Jonathan Brestoff, MD, PhD is among those being recognized. The ASCI Council Young Physician-Scientist Awards recognize physician-scientists who are early in their first faculty appointment and have made notable achievements in their research. With these awards, the ASCI seeks to encourage and inspire […]
A new episode of the School of Medicine podcast, “Show Me the Science,” has been posted. This episode of ‘Show Me the Science’ features, Ali Ellebedy, PhD and looks at how vaccines and prior infections provide some immunity as omicron continues to spread.
The first two vaccines created with mRNA vaccine technology — the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines — are arguably two of the most effective COVID vaccines developed to date. In clinical trials, both were more than 90% effective at preventing symptomatic infection, easily surpassing the 50% threshold the Food and Drug Administration had set for […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $22 million to nearly 30 organizations in 50 countries for efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance and other infection-related threats to health. Part of that funding will support 11 short-term research projects aimed at identifying new solutions to help prevent antimicrobial-resistant infections and their spread, including two such […]
Jonathan Kipnis, PhD, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology & Immunology and a BJC Investigator at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named an academic editor of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, a high-impact journal that publishes papers on immunology, cancer biology, vascular biology, microbial pathogenesis, neuroscience and […]
People who received two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine while on TNF inhibitors — a class of immunosuppressants used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions — generated less powerful and shorter-lived antibodies against the virus that causes COVID-19 than healthy people and those on other kinds of immunosuppressants, according to a study […]
Ann M. Gronowski, PhD, has agreed to serve as the interim Clinical Co-Chief of the Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine (LGM) in the Department of Pathology and Immunology (P&I), and CLIA Medical Director of Barnes-Jewish Hospital Clinical Laboratories, starting January 1, 2022. Ann is currently Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs & Development and Medical […]
For hard-to-treat leukemias, lymphomas and other blood cancers, stem cell transplantation is the gold standard of care. The procedure involves replacing a patient’s own blood-forming stem cells with a donor’s stem cells and, in the process, eradicating cancer cells in the blood, lymph nodes and bone marrow.
Last week the department recognized and celebrated the recipients of the 2021 Faculty and Staff Awards. These awards recognized the hard work and dedication that members of the department do daily to continue to move the department forward toward success. Congratulations to all awardees! To see a list of recipients and photos from the event […]
Michael Diamond, MD, PhD and Daved Fremont, PhD recently had a paper published in the journal Nature. The paper describes how Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) interacts with its receptor, LDLRAD3. This is important because VEEV is an emerging mosquito-borne virus that causes fast-spreading outbreaks. There are no good therapies or preventives for VEEV encephalitis, […]
Nearly everyone gets infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) repeatedly over the course of a lifetime, starting in childhood. Most times, people fight off the virus handily and only end up with a mild cold. But some people — most often young children experiencing their first infection or older adults whose immunity has waned — […]
Rift Valley fever virus causes economically devastating outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever in livestock such as sheep, goats and cattle. These mosquito-borne outbreaks lead to infection in people working with dead or dying animals, sometimes causing hundreds of human cases and dozens of deaths.
Congratulations to Dr. Robert Potter, Microbiology Fellow, co-recipient of the @WUSTLmed Laboratory and Genomic Medicine (LGM) award for delivering the outstanding trainee talk of the year for LGM Grand Rounds! Congratulations to Dr. Saravanan Raju, Clinical Pathology Resident, co-recipient of the @WUSTLmed Laboratory and Genomic Medicine (LGM) award for delivering the outstanding trainee talk of […]
Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is a recipient of this year’s Balzan Prize for his role in founding the field of human gut microbiome research and revolutionizing the understanding of gut microbes and their roles in human health and disease.
COVID-19 vaccination elicited antibody responses in nearly nine out of 10 people with weakened immune systems, although their responses were only about one-third as strong as those mounted by healthy people, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Recently, the History of Clinical Chemistry Division of the AACC recognized Ann Gronowski, PhD for her efforts to promote the heritage of clinical chemistry by presenting her with the Caraway-Meites Award. This award recognizes individuals whose efforts have documented and described the origins, development, and impact of clinical chemistry on the practice of medicine. In the February […]
The virus that causes COVID-19 today is not the same as the one that first sickened people way back in December 2019. Many of the variants circulating now are partially resistant to some of the antibody-based therapeutics that were developed based on the original virus. As the pandemic continues, more variants inevitably will arise, and […]
Alphaviruses — mosquito-borne viruses that can trigger brain infections and arthritis — may have met their match. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified two antibodies that protect animals from disease caused by alphaviruses. The antibodies worked for every alphavirus tested, meaning they potentially could form the basis of treatments […]
Despite causing a surge in infections this summer that has resulted in thousands of hospitalizations and deaths, the delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is not particularly good at evading the antibodies generated by vaccination, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
The body’s so-called good cholesterol maybe even better than we realize. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that one type of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) has a previously unknown role in protecting the liver from injury. This HDL protects the liver by blocking inflammatory signals produced by common gut bacteria.
COVID-19 therapies made from antibodies often are given to patients who are at high risk of severe illness and hospitalization. However, there have been nagging questions about whether such antibody therapies retain their effectiveness as worrisome new virus variants arise.
The first two COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employed a technology that had never before been used in FDA-approved vaccines. Both vaccines performed well in clinical trials, and both have been widely credited with reducing disease, but concerns remain over how long immunity induced by the new […]
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified ingredients for snack food prototypes that have been formulated to deliberately change the gut microbiome in ways that can be linked to health. Translating results from animal models, the scientists have shown in two pilot human studies of overweight participants that snacks containing […]
The University of Texas Medical Branch recently announced the recipients of the annual Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus (ASDA) Awards. Dr. Elizabeth Brunt was among those receiving this distinguished honor. The Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus (ASDA) Award is the highest alumni honor bestowed by the University of Texas School of Medicine Alumni Association. The award recognizes outstanding service to […]
COVID-19 therapies made from antibodies often are given to patients who are at high risk of severe illness and hospitalization. However, there have been nagging questions about whether such antibody therapies retain their effectiveness as worrisome new virus variants arise.
Kodi S. Ravichandran, PhD, a world leader in understanding innate immunity, has been named a BJC Investigator as well as director of the Division of Immunobiology in the Department of Pathology & Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Robert Schmidt, MD, PhD, Division Chief of Neuropathology recently received the Meritorious Contributions to Neuropathology Award. This award recognizes a member who has made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge in neuropathology and provided service to the American Association of Neuropathologists. Dr. Schmidt’s achievements are plentiful and include mentoring graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, […]
The immune system is the brain’s best frenemy. It protects the brain from infection and helps injured tissues heal, but it also causes autoimmune diseases and creates inflammation that drives neurodegeneration.
Carried like stowaways in the guts of international travelers, new and potentially deadly strains of antimicrobial resistant superbugs may be coming to a community near you, suggests new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
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.
Eating a Western diet impairs the immune system in the gut in ways that could increase risk of infection and inflammatory bowel disease, according to a study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Cleveland Clinic.
On Monday, May 10, the culmination of weeks of work for this year’s Trainee Research Day (TRD) was presented via Zoom. Continuing on this year with virtual presentations the department had 16 excellent studies presented. As per tradition, the TRD committee had a scoring process to select the best presentations. Talks were scored based on […]
David Wang, PhD and Bijal Parikh, MD, PhD have identified a mutation that reduces the ability of reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) to identify SARS-CoV-2. The research was recently published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. The efficacy and reliability of these assays are of paramount importance in both tracking and controlling the spread of the […]
The Department of Pathology & Immunology is excited to welcome our newest residents and fellows. For every graduating medical student, Match Day is the next step in their career to working as a doctor and we are thrilled that these residents and fellows have chosen our department to continue their training. Click here to meet […]
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 […]
Eating is a dangerous business. Naturally occurring toxins in food and potentially harmful foodborne microbes can do a number on our intestines, leading to repeated minor injuries. In healthy people, such damage typically heals in a day or two. But in people with Crohn’s disease, the wounds fester, causing abdominal pain, bleeding, diarrhea and other […]
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 […]
Since early in the pandemic, COVID-19 has been associated with heart problems, including reduced ability to pump blood and abnormal heart rhythms. But it’s been an open question whether these problems are caused by the virus infecting the heart, or an inflammatory response to viral infection elsewhere in the body. Such details have implications for […]
To locate some of the world’s most superpowered cells, look no further than the human immune system. The mission of these hometown heroes is threefold: Memorize the features of dangerous microbes that breach the body’s barriers. Launch an attack to bring them to heel. Then squirrel away intel to quash future assaults.
Of the nine treatments and preventives for COVID-19 authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, three are drugs made from so-called monoclonal antibodies. Such drugs provide patients with ready-made antibodies that neutralize the virus, bypassing the body’s slower and sometimes less effective process of making its own antibodies.
Inflammation and metabolic disorders are deeply intertwined. For example, people with inflammatory conditions such as Crohn’s disease and psoriasis are at risk of developing metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and diabetes. However troubling that connection might seem, it also might point to some promising news.
Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, autism, schizophrenia and many other neurological and psychiatric conditions have been linked to inflammation in the brain. There’s growing evidence that immune cells and molecules play a key role in normal brain development and function as well. But at the core of the burgeoning field of neuroimmunology lies a mystery: How […]
No evidence so far indicates that food or drinks can transmit the virus that causes COVID-19, but new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that people with problems in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract may be vulnerable to infection after swallowing the virus.
Neurologist Randall J. Bateman, MD, virologist and immunologist Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, and microbiologist Scott Hultgren, PhD – all faculty members at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis – have been named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors.
Melanie Yarbrough, PhD, was recently featured in CAP Today. The article focuses on Dr. Yarbrough’s work implementing a urine reflex algorithm to help increase the odds for success in reducing the number of urine cultures.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a molecule that protects mice from brain infections caused by Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), a mosquito-borne virus notorious for causing fast-spreading, deadly outbreaks in Mexico, Central America and northern South America. As the climate changes, the virus is likely to expand its […]
The turning point for people with COVID-19 typically comes in the second week of symptoms. As most people begin to recover, a few others find it increasingly difficult to breathe and wind up in the hospital. It has been theorized that those whose lungs begin to fail are victims of their own overactive immune systems.