Category: Research

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.

Dr. Mark Arcario joins the Department of Anesthesiology

Dr. Mark Arcario joined the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University in St. Louis on July 25, 2022.  He will have an appointment in the Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology where he will perform his clinical work and he will have a research appointment in the Division of Basic Research within the Department of Anesthesiology. 

Arcario receives FAER Mentored Research Training Grant

Mark Arcario, MD, PhD

Mark Arcario, MD, PhD, was recently awarded a $250,000 Mentored Research Training Grant from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) for his project titled, “Understanding Allosteric Modulation of Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channels by Fatty Acids.”

Neural pathway key to sensation of pleasant touch identified (Links to an external site)

Zhou-Feng Chen, PhD, director of the Center for the Study of Itch & Sensory Disorders at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, alongside his team, identified a neural circuit and a neuropeptide in mice — a chemical messenger that carries signals between nerve cells — that transmit the sensation known as pleasant touch from the skin to the brain.

Saving a Life When No One Is Around (Links to an external site)

An implanted device that will automatically detect an overdose and give the opioid blocker naloxone is under development by Robert Gereau, Ph.D., of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and John Rogers, Ph.D., of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

COVID-19 infection linked to higher risk of neuropathy (Links to an external site)

Senior investigator Simon Haroutounian, PhD, chief of clinical research at the Washington University Pain Center alongside other researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have found that many people who tested positive for the coronavirus in the early months of the pandemic also experienced peripheral neuropathy during and following their bouts with COVID-19.