Drew Hughes, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pathology and Immunology
Division of Anatomic & Molecular Pathology

Ann Gronowski, PhD, Oree M. Carroll and Lillian B. Ladenson Professor in Clinical Chemistry, Pathology and Immunology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Division Co-Chief of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, was recently named to The Pathologist‘s Power List for 2023. Dr. Gronowski was one of 25 individuals selected by a panel of experts for the list, which highlights moving stories from leading laboratory professionals.

Read more in a story on the Pathology & Immunology website. 

Louis P. Dehner, MD, Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, has received the Barnes Jewish Hospital Medical Staff Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Dehner, or “Pepper,” as he is fondly known by colleagues, is one of two individuals selected for the award, which is given to outstanding clinical faculty each year who have devoted more than 25 years of service to BJH/Washington University School of Medicine.

Read more on the Pathology & Immunology website. 

A new test for two blood cancers – developed by a team at Washington University School of Medicine including Eric Duncavage, MD, Professor of Pathology and Immunology, and Molly Schroeder, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Immunology – is the first whole-genome sequencing test for cancer to be approved for reimbursement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The test, known as
ChromoSeq^TM, advances precision medicine approaches for treating blood cancers by identifying the full suite of genetic changes in a patient’s cancer cells, which provides crucial information that physicians can use to help determine the optimal treatment strategy for individual patients.

Read more in a Washington University School of Medicine press release.

Gaya K. Amarasinghe, PhD, Alumni Endowed Professor of Pathology and Immunology, and a multi-institutional team of researchers were awarded a $16.8 million grant from NIH for their Ebola virus research. The grant from NIH’s National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) will fund the team’s project, “Molecular Mechanisms of Filoviral-host Interactions,” over the next five years.

Read more in a story on the Pathology & Immunology website. 

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai a five-year, $13 million grant to bring together experts from multiple disciplines across five research institutions to create better vaccines against current as well as emerging coronaviruses. The “Programming Long-lasting Immunity to Coronaviruses” (PLUTO) project will be led by Viviana Simon, MD, PhD, Professor of Microbiology; Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine; and Medicine (Infectious Diseases) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Ali Ellebedy, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Medicine and Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. PLUTO researchers will figure out what makes our immune response strong and long-lasting against coronaviruses. The team will then develop vaccines that offer broad protection against existing and future SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as pandemic, zoonotic (those that can jump from animals to humans), and seasonal coronaviruses responsible for other illnesses.

Read more in a press release from Mount Sinai. 

Read the Research Wire piece from Washington University School of Medicine. 

Mai (Mike) He, MD, PhD, Professor of Pathology and Immunology and Section Head of Pediatric Pathology, was recently named editor-in-chief of Fetal and Pediatric Pathology. Dr. He will oversee the journal effective January 1, 2024.

Read more in an article on the Pathology & Immunology website. 

Digesting a crunchy critter starts with the audible grinding of its rigid protective covering — the exoskeleton. Unpalatable as it may sound, the hard cover might be good for the metabolism, according to a new study, in mice, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The researchers, led by Steven Van Dyken, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Immunology, found in mice that digesting chitin, an abundant dietary fiber in insect exoskeletons and also mushrooms and crustacean shells, engages the immune system. An active immune response was linked to less weight gain, reduced body fat and a resistance to obesity.

Read more in a press release from Washington University School of Medicine.

Eric Duncavage, MD, Professor of Pathology and Immunology, was invited to present his team's work on clinical whole genome sequencing at the Nobel Forum Symposium on September 20-22 in Stockholm, Sweden. Dr. Duncavage and his colleagues including Molly Schroeder, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Immunology and Medical Director of the Cytogenetics and Molecular Pathology Laboratory, and David Spencer, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, developed ChromoSeq^TM, a whole genome sequencing (WGS) test that provides a comprehensive genomic assessment of newly diagnosed patients with AML and MDS. ChromoSeq^TM was approved for reimbursement by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this year. 

Gwendalyn Randolph, PhD, Emil R. Unanue Professor of Pathology and Immunology in the Division of Immunobiology, was chosen to be a member of the newly formed National Commission for Lymphatic Diseases. The Commission, which is slated for an inaugural meeting in December 2023, will be convened by NHLBI leadership. In 2022, Congress directed the NIH to establish the Commission. The Commission will support and facilitate advances in lymphatics science and its implementation into effective prevention and treatment interventions. 

Read more on the Pathology & Immunology website. 

Patricia Hernandez, MD, Clinical Pathology Resident in the Department of Pathology & Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, and Homayemem Weli, MD, PhD, Clinical Pathology Resident in the Department of Pathology & Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, were recently selected for the PROUD-MED program. The program, which is an initiative supported by Washington University School of Medicine and the university’s Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS), seeks to enhance underrepresented minorities in medicine faculty development by providing individual mentored clinical research training, resources, senior faculty support, group mentorship, and funding opportunities to trainees or early career faculty members.

Read more on the Pathology & Immunology website. 

Laura Severs, MHA, MLS(ASCP)CM, Director of Clinical Operations in the Department of Pathology & Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, was selected as chair-elect for the American Society for Clinical Pathology's Council of Laboratory Professionals. This position also includes a seat on ASCP's board of directors. 

Irina Shchukina, et. al. T cell control of inflammaging. Seminars in Immunology, Volume 70, 2023, 101818, ISSN 1044-5323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smim.2023.101818

Sunkyung Kim, et. al. IL-6 selectively suppresses cDC1 specification via C/EBPβ. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 2 October 2023; 220 (10): e20221757. https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20221757

Salvatore E. Mignano, et. al. Recurrent atypical anti-glomerular basement membrane nephritis in the kidney transplant. American Journal of Transplantation, 2023, ISSN 1600-6135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2023.09.007

Ning Tsao, Mohamed E. Ashour, Nima Mosammaparast. How RNA impacts DNA repair. DNA Repair, Volume 131, 2023, 103564, ISSN 1568-7864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dnarep.2023.103564

Do-Hyun Kim, et. al. A type 2 immune circuit in the stomach controls mammalian adaptation to dietary chitin. Science, 381,1092-1098(2023). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.add5649

Nicholas C Spies, et. al. GPT-4 Underperforms Experts in Detecting IV Fluid Contamination. The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine, 2023; jfad058. https://doi.org/10.1093/jalm/jfad058

Terada Y, et. al. Smoking exposure-induced bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue in donor lungs does not prevent tolerance induction after transplantation. Am J Transplant, 2023 Aug 22:S1600-6135(23)00648-2. doi: 10.1016/j.ajt.2023.08.010. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37619922.

Zita Hubler, et. al. AMP case report: Small intragenic structural variants in SATB2-associated syndrome. CAP TODAY, August 2023. Article

Baer, J.M., et. al. Fibrosis induced by resident macrophages has divergent roles in pancreas inflammatory injury and PDAC. Nature Immunology (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01579-x

Parith Wongkittichote, et. al. Biochemical characterization of patients with dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase deficiency. JMD Reports, 4 August 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmd2.12382

Yanchun Lin, et. al. Limited Utility of Free Triiodothyronine Testing, The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine, 2023; jfad032. https://doi.org/10.1093/jalm/jfad032

Catherine L Omosule, et. al. Method Comparison and Workflow Differences Using the Same Free Light Chain Assay on 2 Analyzer Platforms. The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine, Volume 8, Issue 4, July 2023, Pages 689–699. https://doi.org/10.1093/jalm/jfad020

Andrea Francesca M. Salvador, et. al. Age-dependent immune and lymphatic responses after spinal cord injury. Neuron, Volume 111, Issue 14, 2023, Pages 2155-2169.e9, ISSN 0896-6273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2023.04.011

Feiya Ou, et. al. Enhanced in vitro type 1 conventional dendritic cell generation via the recruitment of hematopoietic stem cells and early progenitors by Kit ligand. European Journal of Immunology, July 9, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.202250201

Chin Re-I, et. al. Circumferential Resection Margin as Predictor of Nonclinical Complete Response in Nonoperative Management of Rectal Cancer. Diseases of the Colon & Rectum, 66(7):p 973-982, July 2023. https://doi.org/10.1097/DCR.0000000000002654

Madeline M. Schwarz, et. al. Lrp1 is essential for lethal Rift Valley fever hepatic disease in mice. Science Advances, 9,eadh2264(2023). 10.1126/sciadv.adh2264

Vahid Azimi, Mark A Fiala, Mark A Zaydman. Use of the Current Standard of Practice Serum Free Light Chains (sFLC) Reference Interval Puts Black Patients at 5 Times Higher Odds for Light Chain Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (LC-MGUS). Clinical Chemistry, Volume 69, Issue 9, September 2023, Pages 1084–1086. https://doi.org/10.1093/clinchem/hvad083

Brett H. Herzog, et al. Tumor-associated fibrosis impairs immune surveillance and response to immune checkpoint blockade in non–small cell lung cancer. Science Translational Medicine, 15, eadh8005(2023). 10.1126/scitranslmed.adh8005

Brittany A. Townley, et. al. A functional link between lariat debranching enzyme and the intron-binding complex is defective in non-photosensitive trichothiodystrophy. Molecular Cell, Volume 83, Issue 13, 2023, Pages 2258-2275.e11, ISSN 1097-2765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2023.06.011

View more publications on a new page on the Pathology & Immunology website. 

Gaya Amaransinghe, PhD
$16.8 million, 5-year, P01 grant renewal from NIAID for “Molecular Mechanisms of Filoviral-host Interactions”

Eric Duncavage, MD, David Spencer, MD, PhD
$1,162,416 multi-year grant from NIH for “A Rapid and Comprehensive Approach for Clinical Genomic Profiling in Lung Cancer”

Ta-Chiang Liu, MD, PhD
$2.13 million, 4-year grant from NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney for “Dietary modulation of Paneth cells”

Martina Molgora, PhD
$300,000, 3-year, 2023 AGA-Gastric Cancer Foundation Ben Feinstein Memorial Research Scholar Award in Gastric Cancer from the AGA Research Foundation

Viviana Simon, MD, PhD, and Ali Ellebedy, PhD
$13 million, 5-year grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “Programming Long-Lasting Immunity to Coronaviruses (PLUTO)”

Steven Van Dyken, PhD
$427,834, 2-year, R21 grant from NIAID for “Chitin and chitinases in SARS-CoV-2 infection”

Xiaoxiao Wan, PhD
$3 million, 5-year R01 award from National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for "The role of beta-cell crinophagy in generating diabetogenic neoepitopes"

View more grants in the "Grants & Notables" section of the Pathology & Immunology website. 

Department of Pathology & Immunology
Washington University School of Medicine
pathology.wustl.edu