The Division of Basic Research (DBR) explores fundamental scientific questions relevant to medicine and Anesthesiology.

Our research encompasses neurobiology, cell biology, and pharmacology with ongoing projects centered around the following areas: understanding mechanisms of hypoxic and immune-mediated cell death, investigating general anesthetic mechanisms, exploring ion channel function, identifying biomarkers of organ injury, uncovering novel intracellular signaling pathways, and studying the neurobiology of stress and addiction.

Our Team

The Division is led by Jose Moron-Concepcion, PhD, the Henry E. Mallinckrodt Professor of Anesthesiology, whose laboratory focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying opioid addiction and the intersection with pain. Learn more about our team and labs below.

For general research inquiries, please contact the Research Administrative team.

PI Labs

The DBR is located within both the Neuroscience Building and the Clinical Sciences Research Building on Washington University School of Medicine’s campus. Principal investigators are members of the Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Washington University and a number of graduate students have completed their thesis work in DBR labs.

Publications

Faculty in the Division of Basic Research continue to make meaningful contributions to research studies that span a range of topics.

Upcoming Research Events

Throughout the year, the Division of Basic Research hosts research seminars that offer opportunities for department members to become acquainted with ongoing research projects and engage in dialogue.

News

Dr. Arvind Palanisamy wins best scientific paper award at the annual meeting of SOAP

Dr. Arvind Palanisamy wins best scientific paper award at the annual meeting of SOAP
The Department of Anesthesiology is pleased to announce that Dr. Arvind Palanisamy, MD, FRCA, won the best paper award for his abstract, ‘Effect of uterine hypercontractility on the placenta and the fetal brain’, at the recently concluded annual meeting of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) in Miami, FL. In a pregnant rat […]

Richard S. Hotchkiss, MD finds new way to fight sepsis

Richard S. Hotchkiss, MD finds new way to fight sepsis
This story originally appeared here. While many people have never heard of sepsis, it causes about 250,000 deaths annually in the United States. The condition develops when an infection triggers an overwhelming immune response, ultimately wreaking havoc on the immune system. Standard treatment involves high doses of antibiotics that fight the infection, but they often […]