Photography courtesy of Saint Louis University
Hotel Influenza at Saint Louis University
Just Add Water: The former director of Washington University's pediatric critical care division, Dr. Allan Doctor understands the need for a blood substitute, from ambulances to battlefields. Now, with support from BioGenerator, the company that he co-founded, KaloCyte, may have found an answer: ErythroMer, a freeze-dried powder that can be reactivated with water, possibly to treat patients until they reach a medical center. Although it’s been successful in mouse trials, ErythroMer still must undergo a series of clinical trials.
Stopping Chemo Pain: In an animal model study, SLU researcher Daniela Salvemini and her colleagues found a way to turn off chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain, which can manifest as tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, shooting or burning pain in the limbs, or temperature extremes. The findings could eventually help prevent pain without the use of narcotics and improve quality of life.
Preventing Obesity: In an animal study, Wash. U. researcher Fanxin Long and his team discovered how to prevent fat cells from growing. By activating the Hedgehog protein pathway, mice fed a high-fat diet didn’t gain weight, because the pathway inhibited the growth of fat cells.
Battling Inflammation: SLU researcher Sergey Korolev and his team have discovered the structure of a protein known as calcium-independent phospholipase A2, which produces signals after injury to initiate inflammatory response. The discovery could be a step toward the development of treatments for cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses.
A Better Biopsy: Mercy Hospital Jefferson is taking a targeted approach in patients with prostate cancer with the use of its new Artemis biopsy system, which uses MRI information to pinpoint cancer cells’ location. “As the technology advances, we’ll lean less on random samples,” says the hospital’s chief medical officer, Dr. James Junker, “which means fewer needle sticks, less morbidity, and less pain for patients.”
Heart Health: Dr. Khaled Awad, an electrophysiologist at Mercy Clinic, is leading a clinical trial to see whether the BAROSTIM NEO implantable device can improve outcomes for patients with congestive heart failure. The implantable device stimulates baroreceptors, or special cells in the arteries of the neck, to signal the heart, kidney, and blood vessels in an effort to improve heart function and reduce heart failure symptoms.
Get With the Program
New approaches to healthcare across St. Louis
Virtual Reality: As the first virtual care center in America, Mercy Virtual is using telemedicine to connect doctors in the facility with patients at home. Dr. Gavin Helton and his staff use constant home monitoring to detect changes in vitals even before patients experience symptoms, allowing faster treatment and reducing costs.
Hotel Influenza: With funding from the National Institutes of Health, SLU recently completed the Center for Vaccine Development’s Extended Stay Research Unit. Beginning next year, Dr. Daniel Hoft and his team will house participants there for 10-day trials in the hope of creating a universal flu vaccine.
Fighting Malnutrition: Research suggests that as many as one in three surgical patients are malnourished. Missouri Baptist Medical Center now does nutrition-based assessments before surgery, providing support to improve patients’ recovery.
First Footprints: St. Luke’s Hospital is now using digital footprints for newborns. This CertaScan places a newborn’s foot on a small scanner. It’s quick, painless, and increases security, enabling precise identification in emergencies.
Tending to Twins
After her unborn twin boys were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome at 17 weeks’ gestation, Alison Kimball thought she’d have to leave the state for specialized care. Fortunately for Kimball, maternal-fetal medicine specialist Dr. Michael Bebbington had moved to St. Louis six months earlier and became director of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s Fetal Care Center. Bebbington specializes in fetal surgery, including treating the rare syndrome, which occurs when identical twins share a placenta that has abnormal blood vessel connections, causing blood to flow unevenly between the babies. Last summer, Kimball met with Bebbington on a Friday and scheduled laser surgery for the following Monday. “It was crazy to me how fast [the surgery] ended up helping,” Kimball says. “It was a beautiful thing to see [on the ultrasound] the next morning.” Born last October, Caden and Cooper are now happy and healthy.
