News & Events

A collaborative research effort between laboratories at Washington University School of Medicine has identified molecular and cellular mechanisms by which a ketogenic diet (KD) alters synaptic communication in the brain — revealing how metabolic state can reshape neuronal networks at the transcriptional, epigenetic, and physiological levels. Spearheaded by first authors Marion Stunault, PhD, Pan-Yue Deng, PhD and Anjali Yadav, PhD, the study, “Ketogenic diet dampens excitatory neurotransmission by shrinking synaptic vesicle pools,” was recently published in Cell Reports and provides foundational insight into how diet-induced metabolic changes influence excitatory circuits in the hippocampus.

Frederick Arnold, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics at Washington University School of Medicine, has been awarded a 2025 Research Innovation Grant from the ALS Network and ALS United. The award provides $150,000 in funding over one year to support his research in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Purva Patel, a third-year graduate student in the Jin lab, has been awarded a full scholarship to attend the 2026 St. Jude National Graduate Student Symposium, a highly selective national meeting for outstanding biomedical science trainees.

Zefan (Vivien) Li, a third-year graduate student in the Jin lab, has been selected for the 2026 cohort of Washington University in St. Louis’s Pivot 314 Fellowship, a competitive program that supports emerging leaders across disciplines.

Aki Ushiki, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Genetics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been awarded a 2026 Peter J. Pappas Research Grant from the Preeclampsia Foundation. The award provides $99,997 in research funding to support innovative studies aimed at improving outcomes for pregnant individuals and babies affected by preeclampsia and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.