Olivia Cobb, having recently graduated with her Master’s Degree in Biostatistics from Washington University in Saint Louis, is joining the NF Center as a full time bioinformatics specialist. Olivia received her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College in California prior to pursuing a Master’s Degree in Biostatistics. Olivia will be using […]
Author: annawilson
NF Center Trainee Receives Two Research Awards
Each year, the American Neurological Association (ANA) selects the top-ranked abstracts submitted by fellows, residents, and early-career faculty to receive a travel award to attend the Annual Meeting and present their work. Michelle Wegscheid, a combined MD and PhD student in the laboratory of Dr. David Gutmann, was selected for a travel award to present […]
A Message of Hope from the Director
Dear NF Community, Family and Friends, We are living in unprecedented times. We are being asked to limit our social interactions to reduce the spread of a potentially deadly virus. We are all scared, worried, and understandably panicked. However, unusual circumstances call for extraordinary acts of courage, grace, and kindness. As we physically distance ourselves […]
NF Center 2020, Volume 1 Newsletter Published
Check out the NF Center 2020, Volume 1 newsletter (pdf) to read about new research on NF1 brain tumors, learn about our new NF Center faculty member, read updates on patient engagement, and learn about our upcoming complementary care program events. Additionally, learn about: Unique presentation of NF2 in young children Updates from Courtney’s Corner […]
NF1 Researchers Identify a Potential Therapeutic Target for MPNSTs
In a recent study by Qin et al., Dr. Angela Hirbe and her team identified TYK2 as a protein that is highly expressed in MPNSTs. This protein often signals in cancer cells to help them grow. Dr. Hirbe’s group explored the function of TYK2 in MPNSTs by decreasing the levels of TYK2 in MPNST cells […]
Alice Bewley Joins the Gutmann Laboratory
Alice Bewley recently joined the research laboratory of NF Center Director, David H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, FAAN as a graduate student research assistant. Alice received her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Lyon College in Arkansas prior to pursuing a Master’s Degree in Biostatistics at Washington University in St. […]
Courtney’s Corner: Learning to Ride a Bike
Soon the weather will start to warm up and Spring will be right around the corner! That means it’s time to start thinking about outdoor activities like riding bikes. Learning to ride a bike can be challenging for any child, but it might be especially frustrating for children with NF1. Children with NF1 tend to […]
Message from the Director
It has been another exciting and productive year of advances in research and clinical care at the Washington University Neurofibromatosis (NF) Center. Our clinical and laboratory investigators continue to expand their research initiatives aimed at developing personalized medical approaches for people affected with NF. In addition, we are so grateful for the ongoing partnerships with […]
Gutmann Wins Prestigious Neuro-Oncology Prize
Honored for work on pediatric brain tumors David H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor and vice chair for research affairs in the Department of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the Abhijit Guha Award from the Society for Neuro-Oncology and the Section on Tumors of […]
NF Center Trainee Presents at Annual American Neurological Association Meeting
Michelle Wegscheid, a combined MD-PhD student in the laboratory of David Gutmann, presented her exciting work on cerebral organoids (“mini-brains”) at the 2019 American Neurological Association meeting in St. Louis. Michelle is using these reprogrammed organoids to study the impact of patient NF1 gene mutations on human brain development.
Forward Strides 4NF Committee Fundraises for the Washington University NF Center
Recently, the Forward Strides 4NF committee visited the Washington University NF Center to present a $20,000 check. It was the largest yearly fundraising total since their inception. Forward Strides 4NF is a charity that was started in 2016 by Gina Wilburn to honor her daughter and husband, who both have Neurofibromatosis (NF). This year the […]
Walk Family’s FuNFest Raises Money for NF Research
On November 27, 2019, Brian and Amanda Walk and their daughters, Jordan and Bella, visited the Washington University NF Center to celebrate another successful fuNFest event. FuNFest is a family-friendly festival designed to create awareness about NF and to raise funds for NF research. The event includes games, obstacle course, music, a live auction, and […]
New Undergraduates Join the NF Center
The NF Center is proud to welcome three new Washington University undergraduate students to our team. In addition to Kelly Hartigan, a senior who is working with Michelle Wegscheid to characterize NF1 stem cell-induced mini-brains, Anna Wilson, Madhuri Kesani, and Sharanya Thondapu have each started projects. Anna will be working with Dr. Corina Anastasaki to […]
New Study Demonstrates Unique Presentation of NF2 in Young Children
Young adults with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) typically come to medical attention when they develop hearing and balance problems, leading to the discovery of bilateral vestibular schwannomas (BVS). However, school-age children frequently do not present with BVS. In order to identify the earliest signs of NF2 in these young children, Cristina Gaudioso, MD, a pediatric […]
The NF Center Wraps Up a Successful Beat NF Fall Session!
The Washington University Neurofibromatosis (NF) Center, in collaboration with our partners at Jazz St. Louis and the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, recently completed the 2019 Beat NF Fall Session. Toddler participants enjoyed five weeks of a jazz music motor therapy curriculum utilizing jazz music and physical therapy to promote social, attention, and motor skills […]
Washington University NF Center Members Present at the 2019 Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) Symposium
At the recent CTF symposium held in San Francisco, several members of the Washington University NF Center, presented their original research findings. Michelle Wegscheid, a combined MD and PhD student, was selected for an oral poster presentation showcasing her work on human induced pluripotent stem cells, demonstrating that patient NF1 gene mutations have different consequences […]
NF Center Welcomes a New Staff Member: Erika Ramirez
The Washington University NF Center is delighted to welcome Mrs. Erika Ramirez in her new role of full-time Clinical Nurse Coordinator for the NF Clinical Program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Erika previously worked with Drs. Stephanie Morris and David Gutmann as a part-time nurse for our families, but has recently expanded her role to […]
Gutmann to be Fellow at Berlin Institute of Health
David Gutmann, MD, PhD, FAAN the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor of Neurology at the School of Medicine, has received a second Einstein Visiting Fellowship from the Berlin Institute of Health to study how immune cells in the brain known as microglia are linked to cancer, vision loss and behavioral problems in the disease Neurofibromatosis […]
Nicole’s Nook: SnapType Eases Handwriting Struggles
One of my favorite, easy-to-use, kid friendly apps is SnapType, an app developed by an occupational therapy student. SnapType is free ($4.99 for the Pro version), and it allows you to easily type in answers to complete worksheets on the iPad. You can then print or share the worksheet as a PDF. To use SnapType: […]
Suzanne Scheaffer Joins the Gutmann Laboratory
Suzanne Scheaffer, MS recently joined the research laboratory of NF Center director, David H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, FAAN, as a staff scientist. Suzanne completed her Masters of Science degree in Pathology, at Saint Louis University. In the Gutmann laboratory, Suzanne’s research focus will be on the discovery of therapies that prevent or improve vision in […]