Brandon Tan, MD, selected as 2023 Dean’s Scholar

Brandon Tan, MD, PGY5 and an ASAP trainee, has been selected as one of the 2023 Dean’s Scholars. His project explores how the serotonin 3 receptor—implicated in nausea, depression, anxiety, and psychosis—changes its activity when the lipid environment is altered.

WashU, pharmacy scientists alter fentanyl, aim to make it less lethal, less addictive (Links to an external site)

fentanyl

A research team, led by scientists at the Center for Clinical Pharmacology at Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis, have altered the chemical properties of fentanyl and the way that it binds to opioid receptors on nerve cells. The goal is to improve the drug’s safety profile without eliminating its ability to alleviate pain.

Majumdar Featured in Nature Chemical Biology (Links to an external site)

The paper highlights the work of Susruta Majumdar, Ph.D., associate professor of medicinal chemistry and pharmacology at University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, and his colleagues who examined the molecular differences between LFT and MP, and how they bind to MU opioid receptors.

Study elucidates mechanism of lipid regulation of ion channels

In a recent study published in Nature Communications on November 17, 2022, Wayland Cheng, MD, PhD, and colleagues solved the structure of a pentameric ligand-gated ion channel in an open-channel conformation using single particle cryo-electron microscopy.

Kannampallil named inaugural director of acute care innovation research

Dr. Kannampallil will plan, direct, and coordinate research activities related to technology, telemedicine, and innovation within the department. He will also provide population, organizational, and patient-level data, analysis and decision support to advance innovative and technology-related initiatives for the department.

Sunny Lou, MD, PhD, earns 2022 IARS Mentored Research Award

Dr. Sunny Lou has been awarded the 2022 International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) Mentored Research Award for her project “Intelligent Clinical Decision Support for Perioperative Blood Management.”

ASSURE fellowship graduates second cohort as program continues to flourish and receives external funding support  (Links to an external site)

ASSURE fellows concluded their summers with an end-of-program poster session at the School of Medicine, where they presented their work and answered questions about the research they conducted throughout the summer. Looking ahead, the ASSURE fellowship program aims to continue growing in size and scope by seeking additional support through grants and philanthropic funding.