Category: News

Guoyan Zhao, PhD, delivers Dutcher Tenure Recognition Seminar

The Department of Genetics Seminar Series continued on Thursday, February 26, with the Dutcher Tenure Recognition Seminar, featuring an in-person presentation by Guoyan Zhao, PhD, Associate Professor with Tenure in the Department of Genetics at WashU Medicine. Held in MOORE Auditorium, the event brought together faculty, trainees, and staff to celebrate Dr. Zhao’s promotion and scientific accomplishments.

The Dutcher Tenure Recognition Seminar is a long-held tradition in the Department of Genetics, honoring faculty members upon their promotion to tenure. The seminar recognizes not only their research excellence, but also their contributions to mentorship, scholarship, and the academic community.

Sex-specific epigenetic remodeling links acetate to memory enhancement

What if a simple metabolic byproduct could sharpen memory? Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have discovered that acetate, a ubiquitous metabolite, can significantly enhance long-term memory in female mice by reshaping the epigenetic and transcriptional landscape of key learning centers. The findings, published in Science Signaling, reveal that memory enhancement can arise from subtle metabolic byproducts that interact with chromatin in sex- and context-specific ways.

HALO Center researchers win $1.53M NIH grant to accelerate AI longevity research (Links to an external site)

Despite decades of study, the genetic, molecular and environmental influences that drive extended health span and delayed onset of age-related disease are not fully understood. A multidisciplinary team of researchers plans to address this gap by creating interpretable graph neural network models capable of integrating large, multi-omic datasets collected from centenarians and other long-lived individuals with a three-year, $1.53 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop transparent artificial intelligence (AI) models that may reveal the biological underpinnings of exceptional human longevity.

Researchers decode how a ketogenic diet modifies brain synaptic function

featured figure of the research

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, Awarded ALS Network Research Innovation Grant

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).

Zefan (Vivien) Li Named WashU Pivot 314 Fellow

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.

Assistant Professor Aki Ushiki Awarded Preeclampsia Foundation’s Peter J. Pappas Research Grant

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.

Researchers Illuminate the Epigenetic Basis of Microglial Plasticity

A collaborative research effort between the laboratories of Qingyun Li, PhD, assistant professor in the Departments of Genetics and Neuroscience, and Harrison Gabel, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine has uncovered fundamental mechanisms that govern how microglia—the brain’s resident immune cells—adapt their functional states across development, aging, and disease. The study, “State-specific enhancer landscapes govern microglial plasticity,” was recently published in Immunity.

Yang Li, PhD, awarded prestigious ALSF ‘A’ Award Grant for pediatric brain tumor research

The Department of Genetics is proud to announce that Yang Li, PhD, Assistant Professor of Genetics and Neurosurgery, has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) ‘A’ Award Grant for his groundbreaking work in childhood cancer research. The award provides $800,000 in total funding over four years, supporting Dr. Li’s efforts to advance understanding of aggressive pediatric brain tumors.