Yup, they are called "macros". Rwf uses a few of them, some of which you'll find familiar, e.g. `render!` which returns a rendered template with HTTP 200 [1].
Rust can be an intimidating language but the example you’ve provided there really shouldn’t be intimidating to anyone that’s using TypeScript today. There’s a little learning to with &self and & but that’s really basic Rust stuff. I don’t think it’s wise for a framework to attempt to hide core components of the language.
You might be surprised, with Typescript's ubiquity in the web space the type definitions probably won't be too scary. I've never used Rust but I assume `&` is some kind of Rusty pointer.
I ask because I imagine a simplified (Rust) syntax would be more inviting to newcomers.