Investigational drug for genetic form of ALS improves disease’s molecular signs (Links to an external site)

Timothy Miller, MD, PhD, talks with an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Miller led an international phase 3 clinical trial for a rare, inherited form of ALS. The trial, sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Biogen, showed that an investigational drug, known as tofersen, reduced molecular signs of the fatal disease, but at six months did not improve motor control and muscle strength. However, Miller and colleagues found evidence that longer-term use of the drug may help stabilize muscle strength and control.

An investigational drug developed to treat a rare, inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) reduced molecular signs of the fatal, paralyzing disease and curbed neurodegeneration — but at the six-month mark, the drug did not improve motor control and muscle strength, according to results from a phase 3 clinical trial led by researchers at […]

Lang receives NIH MERIT award (Links to an external site)

Catherine Lang

Catherine Lang, PhD, professor of physical therapy, of neurology and of occupational therapy at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been awarded a MERIT award from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The award will support five years […]

Study points to new approach to clearing toxic waste from brain (Links to an external site)

An extended form of the protein aquaporin 4 (red) lines the edges of tiny blood vessels in the brain. Cell nuclei are visible in blue. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a new druggable pathway that enhances the amount of long aquaporin 4 near blood vessels and increases the clearance of waste from the brain. The findings potentially could lead to new therapies to prevent Alzheimer’s dementia.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a new druggable pathway that potentially could be used to help prevent Alzheimer’s dementia. Amyloid beta accumulation in the brain is the first step in the development of Alzheimer’s dementia. Scientists have poured countless hours and millions of dollars into finding ways to […]

Modeling personalized medicine for neurocritical illness (Links to an external site)

Precision medicine, which considers the unique characteristics of individuals to provide the most effective treatment, has been a goal of health care providers for decades. Now, it is a goal for helping those with critical neurological illnesses, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury and spine trauma, to track and predict secondary injury, such as seizures, […]

Amar elected Fellowship Representative for the Graduate Medical Education Committee

Jordan Amar

The Graduate Medical Education Committee has elected Jordan Amar, MD, as its Fellow Representative. He was selected from a pool of about 600 Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis fellows and will serve for the 2022-2023 academic year. Amar is a fellow with the Section of Vascular Neurology. “I am thrilled for the […]

Barnes-Jewish Hospital named to U.S. News & World Report’s prestigious Honor Roll of “Best Hospitals,” ranking 11th in the nation and 1st in Missouri (Links to an external site)

U.S. News and World Report ranks BJC Hospital #11 in nation

(ST. LOUIS – July 26, 2022) – Barnes-Jewish Hospital and its physician partners at Washington University School of Medicine have been named one of America’s “Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report. Barnes-Jewish ranked No. 11 in the nation, moving up six spots from its previous position on the publication’s elite honor roll of the country’s […]