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The many medical firsts at the School of Medicine include:
• Developed the first safe way to monitor production and clearance of the substance that forms brain plaques in Alzheimer’s disease patients.
• Served as a major contributor on the international team that produced the finished human genome sequence.
• Generated cells that, when injected into the spinal cords of rats, reinsulate nerve axons and improve mobility.
• Developed a genetic test that detects whether an individual will develop a form of thyroid cancer and would benefit from thyroid removal — the first surgical prevention of cancer based on genetic test results.
• Developed a rating scale used worldwide to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.
• Created the first positron emission tomography (PET) scanner, a device that images the brain at work.
• Helped pioneer the use of insulin to treat diabetes.
• Helped develop a blood test for early diagnosis of prostate cancer.
• Proposed the now-common practice of taking aspirin to help prevent heart attacks.
• Performed the first non-surgical procedure in the United States that restricts the size of the stomach to treat obesity.
• Assembled a novel online atlas of the folds of the human cerebral cortex and the role they play in brain function.
• Developed a cure for hepatitis B in cases diagnosed early.
• Created a surgical cure for atrial fibrillation.
• Performed the world’s first nerve transplant using nerve tissue from a cadaver donor.
• Developed a blood test that quickly and safely identifies whether a heart attack patient will require invasive treatment.
• Performed innovative larynx restoration surgery for the first time in the United States.
• Helped pioneer cochlear implant technology.
• Performed the world’s first double-lung transplant.
• Pioneered the use of surgery and medication to lower eye pressure in glaucoma patients to prevent further vision loss.
• Grew embryonic animal tissue transplants into fully functional kidneys in an animal host.

Ongoing research includes:
• Leading a regional consortium in translating basic science discoveries into treatments for patients more quickly.
• Participating in the National Children’s Study, the largest U.S. study of child and human health ever conducted.
• Identifying genetic variants that modify a person’s cancer risk and response to cancer therapies.
• Leading efforts to identify the role of infectious agents on many conditions prevalent in women.
• Addressing how the metabolic changes of diabetes lead to heart disease.
• Studying the link between protein misfolding and neurodegenerative disorders.
• Leading an international research collaboration to study inherited forms of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Developing and using nanoparticles for molecular imaging and targeted drug delivery for cancer and clogged arteries.
• Imaging language areas in adult and pediatric brains during recovery from stroke to observe natural rehabilitation patterns.
• Studying the genetics of smoking and alcohol addiction.
• Developing and using new imaging tools to study how nervous system cells form connections.
• Determining the mechanism by which antidepressant medications work in the brain.
• Exploring potential links between the tendency to be thin or overweight and the composition of microbes in the gut.
• Identifying anatomical and genetic markers of schizophrenia.
• Developing treatments to compensate for individual genetic traits that interfere with drug performance.


BioMed 21
To meet the challenge posed by advances in biomedical sciences, the School of Medicine has devised a strategy called BioMed 21 to spur multidisciplinary and translational research. Three units — the Center for Genome Sciences, the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences and the Center for Biological Imaging —will catalyze and support emerging forms of bioresearch and rapidly convert the knowledge of the genetic blueprint into individualized medical treatments. BioMed 21 developments include expansion of the Center for Genome Sciences and construction of a data center to accommodate next-generation DNA sequencing technology; construction of a 9,000-square-foot Center for Clinical Imaging Research; and the creation of five interdisciplinary research centers to be housed in the BJC Institute of Health at Washington University, currently under construction. Additionally, the School will lead a regional group of institutions under a $50 million, five-year grant from the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Awards program. See biomed21.wustl.edu to learn more.