Dr. Jianxin Bao and his wife, Sharon L. Summerlin bought a four-bedroom, 2.5 bath at 6909 Washington Ave. in University City for $301,000 from Dr. Matthew Bodner and his wife, Frances, on March 3.

Elizabeth Robb of Dielmann Sotheby's International Realty was the agent for the sale. The home was listed for $400,000 when it appeared on the market in August.

Dr. Bao is a research associate professor in the Otolaryngology Department of the Center for Aging at the Washington University School of Medicine. His research is mainly focused on age-related hearing loss.

He has also served as the head of the presbycusis and aging laboratory at the Central Institute for the Deaf at the Washington University School of Medicine.

Prior to joining Washington University in 2002, Dr. Bao was an associate research scientist in the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior at Columbia University in New York. He earned his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Florida and his master's degree in physiology and bachelor's degree in biology from Nanjing University.

Dr. Bodner is an anesthesiologist practicing in St. Louis.

Home sales in University City dropped 6.2 percent in 2007. The median sale price also dropped 11.1 percent from $180,000 in 2006 to $160,000 in 2007.

Address: 6909 Washington Avenue
Buyer(s): Bao Jianxin Etux, ~Summerlin Sharron L Etcon
Seller(s): Frances R Bodner (Living Trust) and Matthew S Bodner (Living Trust)
Sale date: Mar. 3, 2008