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Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > News Topics > Science & Technology >
Life Sciences
The life sciences industry began many years ago with the development of insect-resistant cotton. Today it includes: agrobiotechnology, comprising crops genetically altered to resist pests and herbicides and foods developed to provide health benefits such as combating cancer; biotechnology, which focuses on identifying the genetic causes of human disease through programs such as the Human Genome Project; and biomedical engineering, which applies principles of engineering to problems in biology and medicine. Washington University has faculty in biology who produced the first genetically engineered food crop, the tomato, in addition to developing a weakened strain of salmonella bacteria that became the first of its kind to be used as a vaccine in the poultry industry. Its Department of Biomedical Engineering, formally initiated in 1997, works in collaboration with the School of Medicine and various other engineering departments to produce research that has made it one of the nation's top biomedical engineering departments.
| Faculty Experts: |
Showing Life Sciences Experts 1 through 5 of 13.
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Jonathan Chase
Assistant Professor of Biology
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| Chase |
Jonathan M. Chase, assistant professor of biology, focuses his research on the rules (or lack thereof) underlying the diversity, distribution, and abundance of animal and plant species from the population/community/ecosystem perspective. His research combines observational, theoretical, and experimental ...
Expertise: biology, ecology, ecosystem, natural history, evolution, biodiversity, food webs, …
Direct contact: (314) 935-4105
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jchase@wustl.edu
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Ralph Quatrano
Ralph S. Quatrano, Ph.D., is the Spencer T. Olin Professor in Arts and Sciences and chair of the Department of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis. He is internationally known for his plant science work on patterns of embryo formation, and how the patterns lead cells to acquire traits or ...
Expertise: Plants, plant biology, botany, moss, genome, algae, genes, …
Direct contact: (314) 935-6850
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rsq@wustl.edu
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Joseph Ackerman
William Greenleaf Eliot Professor of Physical Chemistry in Arts & Sciences
Joseph J. H. Ackerman, Ph.D. is William Greenleaf Eliot Professor of Chemistry and chair of the chemistry department. His work is concerned primarily with the development and application of magnetic resonance spectroscopic and imaging techniques for the study of functional biophysical and physiologic ...
Expertise: magnetic resonance techniques, spectroscopic techniques, imaging techniques, functional biophysical, physiologic events, intact biological systems, isolated cell preparations, …
Direct contact: (314) 935-6593
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ackerman @wuchem.wustl.edu
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Karen Wooley
Professor of Polymer and Organic Chemistry in Arts & Sciences
Karen L. Wooley, Ph.D, professor of chemistry, has done important research in polymers and nanoparticles. Her interests include bioorganic chemistry; nanotechnology; material science; and atomic force microscopy. These interests are broadly focused upon the design, synthesis and characterization ...
Expertise: nucleophilic attack, graft copolymer micellar structures, liquid crystalline sub-units, Dendrimeric cylinders, Shell-crosslinked Knedels, amphiphilic nanometer-sized spheres, hyperbranched polycarbonates, …
Direct contact: (314) 935-7136
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klwooley@artsci.wustl.edu
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Sarah Elgin
Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences
A highly respected developmental biologist, Sarah C.R. Elgin has spearheaded a drive in St. Louis to share the Washington University science faculty expertise with area elementary and secondary school science programs. She organized the Washington University/University City Science Education Partnership ...
Expertise: school science programs
Media assistance: (314) 935-5272 / tony_fitzpatrick@wustl.edu
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Showing Life Sciences Experts 1 through 5 of 13.
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| News Stories & Tip Sheets: |
Showing Life Sciences Stories 1 through 3 of 82.
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Workaholic
Single-celled bacterium works 24-7, converting light to energy by day, moonlighting at night
April 28,
2008 -- Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have gained the first detailed insight into the way circadian rhythms govern global gene expression in Cyanothece, a type of cyanobacterium (blue-green algae) known to cycle between photosynthesis during the day and nitrogen fixation at night.
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All shook up
Midwest now worries about a different fault
April 24,
2008 -- Two seismologists at Washington University in St. Louis think the New Madrid Fault may have seen its day and the Wabash Fault is the new kid on the block. "I think everyone's interested in the Wabash Valley Fault because a lot of the attention has been on the New Madrid Fault, but the Wabash Valley Fault could be the more dangerous one, at least for St. Louis and Illinois," said Doug Wiens, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences. "The strongest earthquakes in the last few years have come from the Wabash Valley Fault, which needs more investigation."
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In the mix
Research aims to produce energy on the farm
April 15,
2008 --
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| David Kilper/WUSTL Photo |
| Muthanna Al-Dahhan (left) and graduate student Rajneesh Varma are researching effective ways to take agricultural waste and make biofuel out of it. |
Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis, using an impressive array of imaging and tracking technologies, have determined the importance of mixing in anaerobic digesters for bioenergy production and animal and farm wastes treatment. They are studying ways to take "the smell of money," as farmers long have termed manure's odor, and produce biogas from it.
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Showing Life Sciences Stories 1 through 3 of 82.
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1,000 Genomes Project
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Jan. 28,
2008 -- The 1,000 Genomes Project, an international research effort that includes WUSTL scientists, will sequence the genomes of one thousand people from different parts of the globe. Elaine Mardis, co-director of WUSTL's Genome Sequencing Center, comments.
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Drought Can Destroy Diversity
LiveScience.com
Oct. 22,
2007 -- Scientists are more interested than ever in the effects of extreme climate swings, such as prolonged drought, because the computer models predict wilder extremes as one effect of the climate change now underway.
WUSTL biology professor and ecologist Jonathan Chase comments on his study that appeared in the Oct. 15 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Hopes for a Renaissance After Exodus in St. Louis
The New York Times
and 3 others
April 17,
2007 -- Article looks at St. Louis' effort to rebuild its image in the face of population loss and public school accreditation problems.
WUSTL architecture professor John Hoal, who has been involved in numerous municipal planning projects, comments on the redevelopment effort.
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Keeping the Fruits of Research Close to Home in St. Louis
The New York Times
Feb. 7,
2007 -- Article on the efforts of WUSTL chancellor emeritus William Danforth and civic leader John Dubinsky to reorient the business climate in St. Louis. St. Louis has great research institutiions like WUSTL, but "we have not done so well with the commercialization of that science."
In 2001, Danforth -- along with a number of other business and civic leaders -- founded the Coalition for Plant and Life Sciences, a nonprofit group. The goal was to jump-start St. Louis' nascent biotechnology industry by providing both new and mature companies with increased access to financing and up-to-date facilities.
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Republicans tense as voter disillusionment sets in
USA Today
Sept. 5,
2006 -- Iraq is one of several tides running against GOP candidates, driving away independent voters and some party faithful. Except for Missouri, independent voters in five Senate races polled by USA Today were swinging toward the Democrat. Party loyalty was stronger among Democrats than Republicans in every state but Ohio. Michael Minta, professor of political science in Arts & Sciences, comments on how the stem cell research issue is dividing Republicans in Missouri.
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Democrats hope to divide G.O.P. over stem cells
The New York Times
and 1 others
April 24,
2006 -- Democrats are pressing their support for embryonic stem cell research in Congressional races around the country, seeking to move back to center stage an issue they believe resonates with voters and to exploit a division between conservatives who oppose the science and other Republicans more open to it.
Former U.S. Senator John Danforth, an Episcopal minister, and his brother, William, WUSTL chancellor emeritus, have taken a prominent role in promoting the amendment.
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In give and take of evolution, a surprising contribution from islands
The New York Times
Nov. 22,
2005 -- Animals can spread from island to island, giving rise to an explosion of new species, and even colonizing the mainland again. The results suggest that conserving biodiversity on islands is vital for the evolution of new species in the future. Other recent studies suggest that islands may also be engines of evolution for many other animals and perhaps even plants. In the June issue of The Journal of Biogeography, for example, Kirsten Nicholson of WUSTL and her colleagues published a study of lizards that live in Central and South America.
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Blunt counters Blagojevich's courting of stem cell researchers
Associated Press
and 4 others
Sept. 15,
2005 -- Missouri Gov. Blunt has shot back at his Illinois counterpart's effort to attract scientists and institutions involved in embryonic stem cell research to Illinois.
Blunt said in a letter to life sciences companies that he opposes the "prohibition and criminalization" of stem cell research. The letters were sent to U. Missouri, WUSTL and the KC Stowers Institute for Medical Research, among others.
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Field Museum gets a new superstar
Chicago Tribune
and 15 others
Sept. 7,
2005 -- The skeleton of Clint the chimp, whose blood sample was used to map the chimpanzee genome, will reside at the Chicago Field Museum. The chimp died recently of heart failure at the age of 24. His remains will be safeguarded for future research.
WUSTL geneticist Richard Wilson, who participated in the chimp project, comments.
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Man, Chimp Separated by Dab of DNA
New York Times, Los Angeles Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
and 55 others
Sept. 1,
2005 -- Article on the reports published in Nature and Science magazines that an international team of scientists, including WUSTL's Genome Sequencing Center director Richard Wilson and colleague LaDeana Hillier, have finished sequencing the genome of the chimp. The comparison of genetic blueprints shows that just a handful of mutations account for the vast differences between the species. Scientists say the results provide a roadmap for studying diseases and the mechanisms by which humans evolved into the dominant species of Earth.
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Snake-chasing doesn't rattle these researchers
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
and 46 others
June 13,
2005 -- It may not matter to people who hate snakes, but researchers at WUSTL have discovered that rattlers are adaptable and have some interesting habits. Article mentions the work of WUSTL researchers Wayne Drda, Corey Anderson and Ryan Turnquist.
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Stem cell bill gains steam
Chicago Tribune
and 16 others
May 17,
2005 -- Armed with fresh hope of overturning President Bush's limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell studies, Republican members of Congress held an unusual hearing in a Chicago courtroom Monday to rally support for expanding the controversial research. To counter the argument that adult cells are valid alternatives, two researchers who specialize in adult stem cells — including WUSTL's Steven Teitelbaum — were invited to explain the advantages of embryonic cells.
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St. Louis waits for Bio-Belt to bloom
Chicago Tribune
and 12 others
May 2,
2005 -- Article on the outlook for bioscience hotspots focuses on St. Louis.
For years this fading industrial center has poured a fortune into the genetic engineering of plants, ignoring critics of the controversial technology and enduring a long stretch with little to show for its investment.
Now, finally, St. Louis is starting to see a payoff, putting some welcome distance between itself and the many other cities trying to hit it big in biotech.
Comments from John Biggs, Roger Beachy, Peter Raven, and WUSTL chancellor Mark Wrighton.
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Study surveys human intestines
San Jose Mercury News (California)
and 17 others
April 15,
2005 -- In the first comprehensive survey of this realm, Palo Alto scientists found 395 strains of bacteria living in the intestines of healthy people. Most were previously unknown to science. WUSTL's Center for Genome Sciences director Jeffrey Gordon, who was not involved in the study, comments. A separate study at WUSTL, reported last year, raises the intriguing possibility that intestinal bugs may help determine if a person is prone to getting fat.
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U.S. scientists decode human chromosomes 2 and 4
Xinhua News Service (China)
and 7 others
April 7,
2005 -- A multi-institutional U.S. research team led by WUSTL has completed DNA analysis of human chromosomes 2 and 4, the journal Nature reported on Wednesday. The sequencing work on the chromosomes was carried out as part of the international Human Genome Project. The Post-Dispatch news item includes a comment by WUSTL scientist Richard Wilson, who says researchers at the center plan to focus more on finding genetic variations that could predispose some people to disease.
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Mapping of the female chromosome will shed new light on disease and differences in the sexes
Chicago Tribune
and 27 others
March 17,
2005 -- An international team of researchers announced they have cataloged all the genes on the female X chromosome, a technical feat expected to enable fresh insights into women's health and add a genetic component to the debate over differences between the sexes.
The sequencing was carried out by more than 250 researchers as part of the Human Genome Project, of which WUSTL is a part.
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Missouri Coalition Forms to Back Human Cloning, Stem Cell Research
LifeNews.com (Montana), St. Louis Business Journal
and 3 others
Feb. 11,
2005 -- A new coalition of groups in Missouri has formed to back embryonic stem cell research and oppose bills in the state legislature that would curtail the practice of human cloning. Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures features 60 different organizations including the American Diabetes Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, and Washington University.
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Depression: hidden cause of heart attack?
The Wall Street Journal
and 2 others
April 26,
2004 -- You may have one of the biggest risk factors for heart attack, and your doctor doesn't even know it. While doctors screening for heart problems know to monitor smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, few pay attention to a potentially more serious foe: depression. "In cardiology there have been dozens of studies done on hypertension," said Kenneth Freedland, professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine, who has been studying the link between depression and heart disease since the 1980s. "We need to make sure the public and medical community understand that this is an important problem, too."
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Dinosaur fossil record compiled, analyzed
BBC News Online
and 2 others
April 26,
2004 --
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| David Kilper/WUSTL Photo |
| Heathcote |
Julia Heathcote, graduate student in earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has combed the dinosaur fossil record from T. Rex to songbirds and has compiled the first quantitative analysis of the quality and congruence of that record. She calls the record, known as the Dinosauria, "moderately good," and says her results indicate that there might be 500 or more dinosaurs yet to be discovered.
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