Article looks at another David Page contribution to the science of genetics.
A weakness in the system that allows the male Y chromosome to protect and repair itself can explain an array of genetic sexual disorders.:
The palindromes were discovered in 2003 when the Y chromosome's sequence of bases, represented by the familiar letters G, C, T and A, was first worked out by David Page of the Whitehead Institute and colleagues at the DNA sequencing center at WUSTL medical school.

References:

1. Sept. 15, 2009 — New Clues to Sex Anomalies in How Y Chromosomes Are Copied in the The New York Times

Decoding the genome of a man with acute myeloid leukemia revealed genetic mutations that may be common among other cancer patients. The findings could help scientists understand the genetic basis of cancer. Includes comments by WUSTL researchers Richard Wilson, co-author and director of the Genome Center, and Timothy Ley, study senior author and medicine professor.

References:

1. Aug. 5, 2009 — Genome of Leukemia Patient Reveals Common Mutations in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 13 others.

WUSTL biochemists Elaine Mardis and Richard Wilson helped decode the human genome and are now working to find genetic mutations associated with acute myeloid leukemia.

References:

1. June 30, 2009 — Elaine Mardis and Richard Wilson: Taking Cancer's Genetic Measure in the U.S. News & World Report online

For the first time, researchers have decoded all the genes of a person with cancer and found a set of mutations that might have caused the disease or aided its progression. Includes comments by Richard Wilson, senior study author and director of WUSTL's Genome Sequencing Center, and WUSTL hematologist Timothy Ley, director of the study.

References:

1. Nov. 6, 2008 — Experts Decode Cancer Patient's Genes, Seeking Treatment Clues in the The New York Times

and 57 others.

A large probe of lung tumors sheds light on the mutations that tend to underlie cancer in a new study conducted by researchers from Washington University, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Mass. The study also identifies new cellular pathways that can trigger these malignancies.

References:

1. Oct. 22, 2008 — Closest look yet at lung cancer genes in the Science News Web edition

Researchers on Tuesday launched an effort to create a library of human genetics using the online encyclopedia Wikipedia in hopes it could spur widespread discussion about thousands of individual genes.
Authors of the "gene wiki" group outlined its lofty aims in a paper published on the Public Library of Science's online journal, PLoS Biology. The eight authors are from the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation in San Diego, San Diego State University and Washington University in St. Louis.

References:

1. July 9, 2008 — Edit your DNA: 'Gene wiki' to debut on Wikipedia in the The Associated Press State & Local Wire

and 29 others.

When scientists announced last week that they had deciphered the complete genetic playbook for the duck-billed platypus, the public reacted with unexpected enthusiasm. WUSTL genetics professor and co-author Wesley Warren explains the attraction for researchers.

References:

1. May 13, 2008 — A Gene Map for the Cute Side of the Family in the The New York Times

An international scientific team, which announced the first decoding of the platypus genome, said the findings provided "many clues to the function and evolution of all mammalian genomes," including that of humans, and should "inspire rapid advances in other investigations of mammalian biology and evolution." The research was conducted by a group of almost 100 scientists led by WUSTL genetics professor Wesley Warren.

References:

1. May 8, 2008 — Looking at Genome of the Platypus in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

Decoding the platypus genome has long been an important goal for biologists seeking to understand the origins of mammal evolution. That goal was reached by the team of project leader, WUSTL's Wesley Warren.

References:

1. May 7, 2008 — Platypus Genome Reveals Secrets of Mammal Evolution in the National Geographic News

NPR's Joe Palca reports that scientists have now completed a draft DNA sequence of the platypus genome that reveals reptilian and mammalian elements. WUSTL genetics professor Richard Wilson, who directed the platypus genome project at WUSTL, comments.

References:

1. May 7, 2008 — Platypus Is Even More Strange Than It Looks in the NPR All Things Considered

and 1 others.

As personal genetic testing takes off, some worry that marketing is getting ahead of science.
With each new marketing push comes new criticism. Some say DNA testing doesn't belong in virtual clinics: One key issue is regulation.
WUSTL pediatrics and genetics specialist Thomas Morgan worries that the business is getting ahead of the science. "I might scare myself or reassure myself falsely based on the very limited knowledge that we have."

References:

1. April 21, 2008 — May We Scan Your Genome? in the Newsweek

Richard Wilson, director of WUSTL's Genome Sequencing Center, comments on the successful mapping of the corn genome.

References:

1. Feb. 26, 2008 — Group says it has mapped corn genome in the Associated Press

and 76 others.

The 1,000 Genomes Project, an international research effort that includes WUSTL scientists, will sequence the genomes of one thousand people from different parts of the globe. Elaine Mardis, co-director of WUSTL's Genome Sequencing Center, comments.

References:

1. Jan. 28, 2008 — 1,000 Genomes Project in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

When the Human Genome Project completed the first directory of all human genes, the stage was set for the dream of "personalized medicine." But linking a gene to a disease can take years by conventional techniques, and decoding one person's entire genome would still be a multimillion-dollar endeavor. This fall, researchers unveiled a pair of new technologies that could boost the speed of gene sequencing tenfold, while greatly reducing the cost.

References:

1. Dec. 12, 2005 — Genomic Medicine: The Science Speeds Up in the Newsweek Magazine

WUSTL Genome Sequencing Center researchers will lead a project to decipher the genetic code of corn, which they say should provide the knowledge leading to better corn yields.
Lead investigator Richard Wilson comments.

References:

1. Nov. 16, 2005 — Washington U. to Study Corn's Genetic Code in the CBS News
2. Nov. 16, 2005 — WU wins a grant to map genetics of corn in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

and 42 others.

The skeleton of Clint the chimp, whose blood sample was used to map the chimpanzee genome, will reside at the Chicago Field Museum. The chimp died recently of heart failure at the age of 24. His remains will be safeguarded for future research.
WUSTL geneticist Richard Wilson, who participated in the chimp project, comments.

References:

1. Sept. 6, 2005 — Field Museum gets a new superstar in the Chicago Tribune

and 15 others.

Article on the reports published in Nature and Science magazines that an international team of scientists, including WUSTL's Genome Sequencing Center director Richard Wilson and colleague LaDeana Hillier, have finished sequencing the genome of the chimp. The comparison of genetic blueprints shows that just a handful of mutations account for the vast differences between the species. Scientists say the results provide a roadmap for studying diseases and the mechanisms by which humans evolved into the dominant species of Earth.

References:

1. Sept. 1, 2005 — In Chimpanzee DNA, Signs of Y Chromosome's Evolution in the New York Times
2. Sept. 1, 2005 — Man, Chimp Separated by Dab of DNA in the Los Angeles Times
3. Sept. 1, 2005 — Washington U. had major role in chimp genome sequencing in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

and 55 others.

Thanks to recent technological advances, scientists are learning to eavesdrop on the "language" of cells and decipher their "grammar." Much is still unknown, but the research could lead to new treatments for cancer, Parkinson's, epilepsy and many other diseases.
Cells communicate with one another by exchanging tiny chemical messengers called "transmitters" and "transporters." Familiar examples are the hormones adrenaline, dopamine, serotonin, estrogen and testosterone.
WUSTL Center for Genome Sciences director Jeffrey Gordon and WUSTL ophthalmologist Russell Van Gelder comment.

References:

1. July 27, 2005 — Scientists learning to eavesdrop on the language of cells in the Kansas City Star

and 14 others.

There is no handy list of the dividends gained over the years from chimp research, and many of the results are mixed. In the early 1930's, long before ethical restrictions were imposed on research techniques, a good number of chimps were sacrificed to various brain-mapping and other invasive approaches that yielded a great deal of early data on the evolution of the primate brain. On the other hand, notwithstanding the early heroics of the Air Force's chimpanauts, it is most likely that the space program would have gone ahead as planned without them, as would the use of seat belts, for the early trials of which a number of Air Force chimps were reportedly used as living crash-test dummies in the early 60's. Some scientists, however, say that they believe we might soon effect an ideal solution to the chimp-research quandary, thanks to some of the very technological advances that chimps have helped to foster. For instance, scientists at WUSTL and M.I.T. are completing the mapping of an entire chimp genome. It belonged to a chimp named Clint, a longtime Yerkes resident who recently died of heart disease.

References:

1. July 24, 2005 — Planet Of the Retired Apes in the The New York Times

In the first comprehensive survey of this realm, Palo Alto scientists found 395 strains of bacteria living in the intestines of healthy people. Most were previously unknown to science. WUSTL's Center for Genome Sciences director Jeffrey Gordon, who was not involved in the study, comments. A separate study at WUSTL, reported last year, raises the intriguing possibility that intestinal bugs may help determine if a person is prone to getting fat.

References:

1. April 15, 2005 — Study surveys human intestines in the San Jose Mercury News (California)

and 17 others.