Congratulations to Neurology’s February 2025 SAFE accolade recipients

SAFE accolades - Neurology

Congratulations to the members of the Department of Neurology who received accolades through the Supporting a Fair Environment (SAFE) program! SAFE aims to improve the learning environment by promoting positive behaviors and managing concerns about learner mistreatment and unprofessional behaviors. SAFE accolades include treating others with dignity and respect, creating an environment that values diversity, […]

$4.5 million supports pathbreaking neuroimmunology research (Links to an external site)

A $4.5 million grant from the Carol and Gene Ludwig Family Foundation will support innovative projects led by WashU Medicine’s neuroimmunology experts, including (from left to right) David M. Holtzman, MD; Jonathan Kipnis, PhD; and Marco Colonna, MD, in addition to other faculty members through a seed grant program.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received a three-year, $4.5 million grant from the Carol and Gene Ludwig Family Foundation, aimed at advancing research on neuroimmunology and neurodegeneration with the ultimate goal of developing new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Administered by WashU Medicine’s Brain Immunology & Glia (BIG) Center, the Carol and […]

Dai joins Adult Neurology Residency Program leadership

Cathy Dai

Xing “Cathy” Dai, MD, is the newest member of the Adult Neurology Residency Program leadership team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She will join Salim Chahin, MD, MSCE, Renee Van Stavern, MD, and Gregory Wu, MD, PhD, as an associate program director, starting July 1, 2025. She began transitioning into the […]

Electrochemical field key to how dementia precursors ‘break bad’ (Links to an external site)

Amyloid beta peptides start out as helpful scaffolding, but they can turn toxic with the production of reactive oxygen molecules. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found a new way to interrupt the toxic spread of these peptides. (Image: Michael W. Chen and Wenjing Li)

Protein accumulations do important work in the human body, but something can go wrong and proliferate in those aggregates, resulting in neurodegeneration and diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. One such assembly, amyloid beta peptide, is synonymous with dementia, but researchers were not certain how these peptide assemblies “break bad” and what really causes them […]

Novel Gene Therapy Clinical Trial Targets Rett Syndrome

Gloved hands hold syringe to glass vial

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is one of only ten sites in the world participating in a pioneering clinical trial evaluating TSHA-102, an investigational gene therapy for the treatment of Rett syndrome, a severe neurodevelopmental disorder primarily affecting girls. The REVEAL Phase 1/2 clinical trial represents a significant advancement in the quest […]

Staff Spotlight Jacki Mallmann

Jacki Mallmann

Jacki Mallmann began her career at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 1998 as a part-time administrative assistant in the Department of Psychiatry. She spent fourteen years working at the Midwest Alcoholism Research Center, where she gained invaluable administrative research experience by working on multiple NIH-funded studies, IRB submissions, data entry, general […]

Study highlights barriers to genetic testing for Black children (Links to an external site)

A recent study by WashU Medicine researchers found Black children were about half as likely as white children to obtain genetic testing ordered by their neurologists. The results are already changing practice at WashU Medicine’s pediatric neurology clinic, where a genetic counselor has been embedded to help address some of the access challenges uncovered by the study.

Studies have shown that Black children with serious illnesses are less likely than white children to obtain crucial genetic testing necessary to guide treatment decisions, but the reasons for this disparity have not been fully understood. A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis focused on children with neurological conditions finds […]

Next-gen Alzheimer’s drugs extend independent living by months (Links to an external site)

An Alzheimer’s patient with very mild symptoms who undergoes treatment with one of the new, next-generation therapies could expect to gain eight or 10 months living independently, according to a study by researchers at WashU Medicine. The new analysis interprets the benefits of the drugs in a way that is meaningful to patients and families, to help them make informed decisions about treatment.

In the past two years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved two novel Alzheimer’s therapies, based on data from clinical trials showing that both drugs slowed the progression of the disease. But while the approvals of lecanemab and donanemab, both antibody therapies that clear plaque-causing amyloid proteins from the brain, were greeted with enthusiasm […]

Generous donation from Jansky/Bander Family to fund Movement Disorders fellowships, support brain bank

Generous donation funds Movement Disorders fellowships, supports brain bank

The Jansky/Bander Family Fund, a generous commitment of $1,100,000 over five years, has been established to advance critical initiatives within the Section of Movement Disorders at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Department of Neurology. This significant financial contribution is earmarked for two primary functions under the direction of Joel Perlmutter, MD: funding […]

Patient defies genetic fate to avoid Alzheimer’s (Links to an external site)

Doug Whitney, who lives near Seattle, Wash., inherited a mutation that has caused many family members to develop Alzheimer's disease at about age 50, yet he shows no sign of the illness at age 75. His case is the subject of a new study by WashU Medicine researchers that aims to identify potential routes to preventing or treating Alzheimer's based on Whitney's exceptional resilience to the disease.

Remarkably, Doug Whitney, 75, has escaped genetic destiny. Like many members of his family, Whitney inherited a rare genetic mutation that all but guarantees he would develop early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. But Whitney, whose relatives first showed symptoms of cognitive decline in their early 50s, remains mentally sharp with no signs of the devastating disease, and […]