Advancing Knowledge
Training Leaders
Pioneering Treatments
Advancing Knowledge
Training Leaders
Pioneering Treatments

  • Stuart Kornfeld to receive honorary degree from Washington University

    Stuart Kornfeld is one of six people who will receive honorary degrees at Washington University's commencement on May 20-21. He is best known for the study of how sugars attach to proteins and the roles these molecules play in how cells function. His work on the trafficking of proteins to lysosomes via the mannose-6-phosphate pathway led to new understandings of inherited disorders known as lysosomal storage diseases. WU Record 5/5/21

    Stuart Kornfeld Stuart Kornfeld

  • Timing of chemotherapy could improve treatment for glioblastoma

    In a retrospective study of patients with glioblastoma, Jian Campian and co-workers observed that patients who received their chemotherapy in the morning had significantly improved survival in comparison with those who received it in the evening. This work highlights the potential importance of circadian rhythms in determining the effectiveness of chemotherapy for cancer. WU Record 3/31/21 | Neuro-Oncology Advances 2021 Mar 2

    Jian Campian Jian Campian

  • Zika virus helps destroy deadly brain cancer in mice

    The Zika virus that ravaged the Americas, leaving many babies with permanent brain damage, may have a silver lining, according to a study published by Milan Chheda and colleagues. The virus can activate immune cells to destroy glioblastoma cancer cells in mice, giving a powerful boost to an immunotherapy drug (anti-PD-1 antibody) and sparking long-lasting immunological memory that can ward off tumor recurrence for at least 18 months. WU Record 3/24/21 | JCI Insight 2021 Jan 11

    Milan Chheda Milan Chheda

  • Promising role for whole genome sequencing in guiding blood cancer treatment

    A new study led by David Spencer suggests whole genome sequencing is a reliable and practical approach for detecting all of the changes that are important for assessing the risk of relapse for AML and MDS patients. This approach can be performed when conventional testing methods are unsuccessful and also could be applied to other cancers, including solid tumors. The cost of genome sequencing technology recently reached a level similar to that of conventional testing, and results can be returned to patients in just a few days WU Record 3/10/21 | NEJM 2021 Mar 11

    David Spencer David Spencer

  • Aggressive brain tumor mapped in genetic, molecular detail

    Glioblastoma is among the most aggressive and devastating of cancers. In a study led by Li Ding, members of the National Cancer Institute’s Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium performed high-resolution and high-depth analyses on 99 glioblastoma tumors. Harnessing new technologies, including proteomics, metabolomics and single cell sequencing, this study is an extremely deep dive into glioblastoma tumor biology, revealing new possibilities for therapy. WU Record 2/11/21 | Cancer Cell 2021 Feb 2

    Li Ding Li Ding

  • Nixing bone cancer fuel supply offers new treatment approach

    An innovative approach to treating bone tumors — starving cancer cells of the energy they need to grow — could one day provide an alternative to a commonly used chemotherapy drug without the risk of severe side effects. Studying human cancer cells and mice, Brian Van Tine and associates found that a two-drug combination targeting a tumor’s energy sources could be as effective and less toxic than methotrexate to treat osteosarcoma. WU Record 1/26/21 | Cell Reports 2021 Jan 26

    Brian Van Tine Brian Van Tine

  • GI tract may be vulnerable to COVID-19 infection

    Research published by Ramon Jin, a clinical fellow in the Division of Medical Oncology, and co-workers in Jason Mills's laboratory suggests that people with Barrett’s esophagus (a major risk factor for cancer of the esophagus) may be vulnerable to infection after swallowing the virus that causes COVID-19. They analyzed tissue from 30 patients with Barrett’s esophagus and found that cells in the tissue samples all had receptors for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which normal esophagus cells lack. WU Record 1/20/21 | Gastroenterology 2021 Jan 20

    Ramon Jin Ramon Jin

  • New discovery could help improve cancer vaccines

    Jeff Ward and Chris Miller are members of a global consortium that has identified features of tumor neoantigens that trigger T cells to attack the cancer and leave healthy tissue untouched. They used computer modeling to accurately predict 75% of effective neoantigens and eliminate 98% of ineffective mutant proteins in melanoma and a common type of lung cancer. The results will help researchers design better immunotherapies against cancer. WU Record 10/9/20 | Cell 2020 Oct 2

    Jeff Ward Jeff Ward
    Chris Miller Chris Miller

  • Siteman Cancer Center earns highest federal rating

    Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has been recognized once again as a top U.S. cancer institution, based on a review of its research programs. This evaluation resulted in a nearly perfect score, earning Siteman the highest possible rating — exceptional — by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). WU Record 7/10/20

    Siteman Cancer Center Siteman Cancer Center

  • Walter named Edward P. Evans Endowed Professor

    Matthew J. Walter, MD, has been named the inaugural Edward P. Evans Endowed Professor at Washington University School of Medicine. Walter, an international leader in the study and treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of rare blood disorders that prevents the body from making sufficient healthy blood cells, is a professor of medicine and director of the Edward P. Evans Center for Myelodysplastic Syndromes at the School of Medicine. WU Record 1/17/20

    Matt Walter Matt Walter

  • $3.7 million supports crowdsourced database of cancer genomics

    Washington University has received a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support an open-source database aimed at boosting personalized approaches to cancer treatment. The database, called CIViC, was designed by computational biologists Obi Griffith and Malachi Griffith. Its purpose is to help doctors match cancer mutations found in patients’ tumors with drugs that target such genetic errors. WU Record 10/15/19

    Obi Griffith Obi Griffith
    Malachi Griffith Malachi Griffith

  • Cause of rare, fatal disorder in young children pinpointed

    Mark Sands and his colleagues have discovered the precise biochemical pathway leading to Krabbe disease, a fatal genetic disorder in children that results in seizures, developmental regression and death, usually around age 3. Studying a mouse model, they also identified a possible therapeutic strategy for this disease. WU Record 9/16/19 | PNAS 2019 Sep 16

    Mark Sands Mark Sands

  • $5 million grant endows research on myelodysplastic syndrome

    Washington University has received a $5 million grant to establish the Edward P. Evans Myelodysplastic Syndromes Center led by oncologist Matthew Walter. A major goal of the center is to launch a clinic that will follow healthy individuals with normal blood counts and mutations in key genes that are linked to MDS. By studying this group of patients, the investigators hope to understand the differences between those patients who go on to develop MDS and those who don’t. WU Record 9/11/19

    Matt Walter Matt Walter

  • $15 million supports quest for personalized leukemia therapies

    A team of Washington University investigators led by Tim Ley have been awarded a $15 million NIH grant to better understand the genetic changes that drive acute myeloid leukemia and predict patients’ responses to therapy. The findings may enable development of more effective therapies tailored to patients, based on the genetic characteristics of their cancer cells. WU Record 8/21/19

    Tim Ley Tim Ley

  • Half-century of research illuminates how cells work in health, disease

    More than 50 years ago, Stuart Kornfeld, was awarded his first research grant. That grant enabled him to set out on a field of study that would lay the foundation for understanding cells' behavior in health and inherited diseases. WU Record 7/30/19

    Stuart Kornfeld Stuart Kornfeld

  • Fighting pancreatic cancer with immunotherapy

    In collaboration with investigators at Rush University in Chicago, David DeNardo and colleagues have found a chemical compound that promotes a vigorous immune assault against pancreatic cancer in mice. Alone, the compound reduces pancreatic tumor growth and metastases. But when combined with immunotherapy, the compound significantly shrank tumors and dramatically improved survival in the animals. WU Record 7/3/19 | Science Translational Medicine 2019 Jul 3

    David DeNardo David DeNardo

  • Tim Ley elected to National Academy of Sciences

    Tim Ley led the team that first sequenced a cancer genome, identifying mutations in DNA that lead to cancer growth. His research has laid the groundwork for precision medicine in cancer treatment, which uses the genetic makeup of a patient’s tumor and how it responds to therapy as a guide for how best to attack that specific patient’s disease. WU Record 4/30/19

    Tim Ley Tim Ley

  • $9 million supports deep dive into breast, pancreatic cancers

    Washington University School of Medicine has received a $9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the life histories of breast and pancreatic cancers. Led by Li Ding and colleagues in the Departments of Surgery and Radiology, the research will focus on how breast cancer evolves in response to treatments and how some tumors develop resistance to these treatments. A second project will focus on how pancreatic cancer spreads, or metastasizes, and develops resistance to standard treatments. WU Record 1/9/19

    Li Ding Li Ding

  • $20 million gift from Paula C. and Rodger O. Riney boosts multiple myeloma research

    Their gift establishes the Paula C. and Rodger O. Riney Blood Cancer Research Initiative Fund to develop promising new treatments for multiple myeloma. The work will be carried out by a research team of physicians and scientists at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center and Washington University School of Medicine with broad expertise in multiple myeloma, genomics, immunology and immunotherapy, imaging and pharmacogenomics. WU Record 11/29/18

    Siteman Cancer Center Siteman Cancer Center

  • $11.5 million supports innovation in leukemia research

    Extending its standing as one of the top leukemia programs in the United States, Washington University School of Medicine has been awarded an $11.5 million grant to further high-level investigations into leukemia and related blood cancers. The grant, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), funds a prestigious Specialized Program in Research Excellence (SPORE) in leukemia. The Washington University SPORE, led by Dan Link is one of only three academic centers in the U.S. to receive this grant. WU Record 11/6/18

    Dan Link Dan Link

  • Relapsed leukemia flies under immune system's radar

    A study led by Matthew Christopher, Allegra Petti, Michael Rettig and Timothy Ley offers a potential explanation for why many AML patients experience a relapse after a stem cell transplant and suggests a therapeutic approach that may help to place relapsed patients back into remission. The investigators found that leukemia cells from patients who relapsed after transplant often had greatly reduced expression of genes that were involved with the recognition of cancer cells by the immune system and that interferon gamma could restore expression of these genes. WU Record 10/31/18

    Matt Christopher Matt Christopher

  • New clues found to understanding relapse in breast cancer

    A large genomic analysis led by Obi Griffith in the Division of Oncology and The McDonnell Genome Institute has linked certain DNA mutations to a high risk of relapse in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. The knowledge could help guide treatment decisions. Nature Communications 2018 Sep 4 | WU Record 9/14/18

    Obi Griffith Obi Griffith

  • Analysis of prostate tumors reveals clues to cancer’s aggressiveness

    Using genetic sequencing, scientists have revealed the complete DNA makeup of more than 100 aggressive prostate tumors, pinpointing important genetic errors these deadly tumors have in common. The study lays the foundation for finding new ways to treat prostate cancer, particularly for the most aggressive forms of the disease. The multicenter study was led by co-senior author Chris Maher of the Oncology Division and investigators at the University of California, San Francisco.
    Cell 2018 Jul 19 | WU Record 7/19/18

    Chris Maher Chris Maher

  • Personalized vaccine may extend survival of glioblastoma patients

    A multicenter clinical trial of a personalized vaccine has indicated improved survival rates in glioblastoma patients. To prepare the vaccine, a small amount of tumor tissue was exposed to the patient’s own immune cells (dendritic cells) to train them to seek out and destroy the tumor. The trained dendritic cells were then returned to the patient as a vaccine. The clinical trial included 331 patients, who were randomized to receive standard therapy plus the personalized vaccine or standard therapy plus a placebo. Among the trial participants, Jian Campian in the Division of Oncology recruited one of the largest groups of patients. Journal of Translational Medicine 2018 May 29 | WU Record 5/29/18

    Jian Campian Jian Campian

  • $5 million supports innovative breast cancer trial

    Ron Bose and Cynthia Ma have received a $5 million grant from the Department of Defense to support their research on HER2-positive breast cancer. The grant will fund a clinical trial of the HER2 inhibitor neratinib in combination with fulvestrant in patients with metastatic breast tumors that have HER2 mutations and are estrogen-receptor positive. To understand how patients respond to these drugs, the researchers will implant the patients’ tumors into mice that then will receive the same treatment regimen. Genome sequencing and protein analysis of the tumors will be performed to seek clues to how some of them develop drug resistance. WU Record 5/10/18

    Ron Bose Ron Bose
    Cynthia Ma Cynthia Ma

  • Experimental arthritis drug prevents stem cell transplant complication

    An investigational drug in clinical trials for rheumatoid arthritis prevents a common, life-threatening side effect of stem cell transplants, new research from Jaebok Choi, John DiPersio and colleagues. Studying mice, the researchers found the drug prevented graft-versus-host disease, a debilitating, sometimes lethal condition that develops when transplanted stem cells attack the body’s own organs or tissues. Leukemia 2018 Apr 2 | WU Record 4/24/18

    Jaebok Choi Jaebok Choi
    John DiPersio John DiPersio

  • Major milestone reached in effort to identify the genetic roots of cancer

    Researchers nationwide have reached a major milestone in describing the genetic landscape of cancer. Li Ding, assistant director of The McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University, and scientists from about 20 other institutions have completed the genetic analyses of more than 11,000 tumors from patients, spanning 33 types of cancer - all part of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. Altogether, they identified about 300 genes that drive tumor growth. Remarkably, just over half of all tumors analyzed carry genetic mutations that could be targeted by therapies already approved for use in patients. Their findings are reported in six papers published April 5 in the journals Cell, Cell Reports and Cell Systems. WU Record 4/5/18

    Li Ding Li Ding

  • Academy of Science-St. Louis honors Stuart Kornfeld

    Stuart Kornfeld was honored on April 5 at a dinner at the Missouri Botanical Garden in recognition of his outstanding scientific contributions. Kornfeld's research has been instrumental in understanding the workings of lysosomal proteins, which must make their way to the cells' lysosomes in order to digest cellular parts and molecules that are no longer needed and help cells dispose of viruses and bacteria. Misdirected or malformed lysosomal proteins can lead to lysosomal storage diseases, such as Tay-Sachs disease and Niemann-Pick disease. WU Record 3/5/18

    Stuart Kornfeld Stuart Kornfeld

  • Zika virus kills brain cancer stem cells

    While Zika virus causes devastating damage to the brains of developing fetuses, it one day may be an effective treatment for glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer. New research from the labs of Milan Chheda and Michael Diamond at Washington University and Jeremy Rich at UC San Diego shows that the virus kills brain cancer stem cells, the kind of cells most resistant to standard treatments. Journal of Experimental Medicine 2017 Sep 5 | WU Record 9/5/17 | Outlook Magazine winter 2017/18

    Milan Chheda Milan Chheda

  • John DiPersio receives NCI outstanding investigator award

    John DiPersio, Chief of the Division of Oncology, has received a $6 million outstanding investigator award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support research aimed at improving therapies for leukemia. WU Record 11/6/17

    John DiPersio John DiPersio

  • New gene-altering treatment offered for certain blood cancers

    Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is one of the first centers nationwide to offer a new immunotherapy that targets certain blood cancers. Newly approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for types of advanced non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adults, the CAR-T cell therapy harnesses a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. WU Record 10/18/17 | Center for Gene & Cellular Immunotherapy

    Siteman Cancer Center Siteman Cancer Center

  • Chemo-loaded nanoparticles target breast cancer that has spread to bone

    Seeking new treatments for metastatic breast cancer, Kathy Weilbaecher and colleagues have designed nanoparticles that carry chemotherapy and are targeted directly to tumors that have spread to bone. The strategy, developed in mouse studies, lets chemotherapy penetrate the protective environment of bone and minimizes toxic side effects. Cancer Research 2017 Aug 30 | WU Record 9/25/17

    Kathy Weilbaecher Kathy Weilbaecher

  • CRISPR sheds light on rare pediatric bone marrow failure syndrome

    Children with dyskeratosis congenita - characterized by short telomeres - experience progressive bone marrow failure, eventually losing the ability to make red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Luis Batista, Chris Sturgeon and co-workers used CRISPR to edit into human embryonic stem cells two mutations associated with the disease to produce a novel model of the disorder. They showed how blocking the downstream effects of these mutations can lead to normal production of blood cells. Stem Cell Reports 2017 Aug 8 | WU Record 7/27/17

    Luis Batista Luis Batista

  • Rogue breast tumor proteins point to potential drug therapies

    Studying mice with breast tumors transplanted from patients, a group at Washington University led by Li Ding, in collaboration with colleagues at The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Baylor College of Medicine, have analyzed the proteins present in these tumors. The researchers demonstrated that some protein alterations can be used to identify drugs that may work against some cancers. Nature Communications 2017 Mar 28 | WU Record 3/28/17

    Li Ding Li Ding

  • Online database aims to collect, organize research on cancer mutations

    A group led by Obi and Malachi Griffith has developed an online "knowledgebase" to gather and organize information on cancer genomics, providing an educational forum for dissemination of information and discussion of the clinical significance of cancer genome alterations. The online resource, called CIViC, for Clinical Interpretations of Variants in Cancer, is open to anyone who wants to contribute or make use of the information. Submissions are curated by editors and moderators who are experts in the field. Nature Genetics 2017 Jan 31 | WU Record 1/30/17

    Obi Griffith Obi Griffith
    Malachi Griffith Malachi Griffith

  • Study unveils new way to starve tumors to death

    Many sarcomas lack an enzyme required for production of arginine, an essential component of most proteins, but attempts to kill the tumor cells by starving them of this nutrient have been unsuccessful. After analyzing the complex metabolism of these tumors, Brian Van Tine, Jason Held, and co-workers discovered that adding a glutamine inhibitor to an arginine-depleting drug killed the cells and caused tumor regression in mice. These results form the basis of a planned clinical trial in patients with sarcomas. Cell Reports 2017 Jan 24 | WU Record 1/24/17

    Brian Van Tine Brian Van Tine
    Jason Held Jason Held

  • In highly lethal type of leukemia, cancer gene predicts treatment response

    Patients with the most lethal form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) – based on genetic profiles of their cancers – typically survive for only four to six months after diagnosis, even with aggressive chemotherapy. But new research by John Welch and colleagues in the Oncology Division indicates that such patients, paradoxically, may live longer if they receive a milder chemotherapy drug. New England Journal of Medicine 2016 Nov 24 | WU Record 11/28/16

    John Welch John Welch

  • New immunotherapy for leukemia shows promise in small clinical trial

    A new type of immunotherapy shows promise against cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that recur after treatment or that never respond to therapy in the first place. A small clinical trial conducted by Rizwan Romee and Todd Fehniger provides evidence that the immune system’s "natural killer" cells can be dialed up in the laboratory, trained to recall that activation and then effectively unleashed to destroy cancer cells in some patients. Science Translational Medicine 2016 Sep 21 | WU Record 9/21/16

    Todd Fehniger Todd Fehniger

  • Study finds marker of aggressive prostate cancer

    The level of an RNA molecule (PCAT-14) expressed in prostate tumors is an indicator of whether the cancer is likely to spread, according to research published by Chris Maher and colleagues. Down-regulation of PCAT-14 is associated with a greater probability of metastatic progression, and this finding may help to determine the intensity of therapy in individual patients. European Urology 2016 Jul 22 | WU Record 8/2/16

    Chris Maher Chris Maher

  • Study seeks clues to breast cancer outcomes in African-American women

    Foluso Ademuyiwa and her colleague Laura Beirut (Department of Psychiatry) are launching a major study in African-American women with breast cancer to learn whether their genetic risks are influenced by the same mutations that affect white women or are altogether different mutations. Such information may lead to new ways to prevent or treat breast cancer in African-American women. WU Record 7/29/16

    Foluso Ademuyiwa Foluso Ademuyiwa

  • Immune-based therapy in mice shows promise against pancreatic cancer

    David DeNardo, Andrea Wang-Gillam and their colleagues have shown that immunotherapy against pancreatic cancer can be effective when given in conjunction with focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitors, drugs that break up the fibrous tissue in these tumors. A phase 1 clinical trial to test the safety of FAK inhibitors in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer is underway. Nature Medicine 2016 Jul 4 | WU Record 7/5/16

    David DeNardo David DeNardo
    Andrea Wang-Gillam Andrea Wang-Gillam

  • Probing proteins' 3-D structures suggests existing drugs may work for many cancers

    Examining databases of proteins’ 3-D shapes, a group led by Li Ding has identified more than 850 DNA mutations that appear to be linked to cancer. The information may expand the number of cancer patients who can benefit from existing drugs. Nature Genetics 2016 Jun 13 | WU Record 6/13/16

    Li Ding Li Ding

  • Tim Ley to receive the 2016 Carl and Gerty Cori Faculty Achievement Award

    Tim Ley is being recognized for his pioneering research in cancer genomics. His studies have laid the groundwork for precision medicine in cancer, which targets treatment to a patient based on the genetic makeup of a tumor and how it responds to therapy. WU Record 5/18/16

    Tim Ley Tim Ley

  • Govindan named Anheuser-Busch Endowed Chair in Medical Oncology

    Ramaswamy Govindan has been named the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Chair in Medical Oncology. The Anheuser-Busch Foundation established the endowed chair in 2001. Govindan was honored for his innovative research, including in genomics, aimed at developing better lung cancer therapies and improving patient outcomes. WU Record 2/17/16

    Ramaswamy Govindan Ramaswamy Govindan

  • Study uncovers hard-to-detect cancer mutations

    Li Ding and co-workers developed a software tool for finding a certain type of genetic error that has been consistently missed by cancer genome studies. These "complex indels" appear to cluster in important cancer genes more often than can be attributed to random chance. Patients may benefit when indels are found in genes that already have drugs designed to counter the effects of mutation. Nature Medicine 2016 | WU Record 1/5/16

    Li Ding Li Ding

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