Feinberg School News 2012

Mark Mandel, PhD, assistant professor in microbiology-immunology, recently published research explaining how only a single species of bacteria cells are directed into the light-organ of the Hawaiian bobtail squid. The findings could shine light on the good and bad bacteria humans interact with every day.

Alexander Stegh, assistant professor in the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, has developed a research program aimed at understanding the genetics of the most prevalent and malignant form of brain cancer.

A team or researchers have shown that ovarian cancer cells induce nearby cells to alter their production of three microRNAs - small strands of genetic material that are important regulators of gene expression.

Recent work suggests that folic acid, a protein most commonly associated with fetal development, may also be involved in the prevention of adult onset diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia, neuropsychiatric disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cerebral ischemia.

Research from the lab of Hossein Ardehali, MD, PhD, points toward the existence of a novel iron conservation program within cells. The newly discovered pathway offers insight into how cells use their iron wisely for survival.

New study uncovers impact of gender-biased resource allocation on the 'productivity gap.'

Northwestern Medicine researchers have discovered immune cells that can suppress or promote tumor growth in colorectal cancer, the second leading cancer killer in the United States.

Bill Muller, MD, PhD, chair of pathology, is being given the American Society for Investigative Pathology's most prestigious honor during the Experimental Biology Meeting this April in Boston.

New research by Julie Kim, PhD, Susy Y. Hung Research Professor, suggests that the combination of a synthetic hormone and a signaling inhibitor may provide new treatment options for women diagnosed with endometrial cancer.

Robert Bonow, MD, professor of cardiology, has dedicated his career to improving the quality of life and health outcomes of people with cardiovascular disease. His recent work in the nation of Qatar has provided unique insight into the health problems that modernization can bring.

The collaborative medical school faculty conducts basic science, clinical, and translational research on campuses in Chicago and Evanston. As part of Northwestern Medicine, Feinberg strives to quickly apply research breakthroughs into clinical practice. The medical school's latest video, narrated by nationally known producer and voice talent Bill Kurtis, highlights important research being conducted by faculty, staff, and students.

An international multi-disciplinary research team led by Northwestern Medicine scientists has uncovered a new role for a well-known protein in the development of tissue scarring. The finding has implications for the treatment of scleroderma, a condition for which there currently is no effective treatment.

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has increased its position in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding rankings by 19 spots since 2001, the largest move among all schools in that time. Ranked No. 21, an all-time high for Feinberg and up from 24 in 2011, the move continues to validate the school's steady climb as a research-intensive medical school. Also, eight of Feinberg's departments ranked in the top 10 of their research areas, and 11 departments ranked in the top 20.

Working in the Circadian Rhythms and Sleep Research Laboratory, Hrayr Attarian, MD, associate professor in the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, is striving to understand a host of sleep disorders in women and individuals with multiple sclerosis.

Robert Vassar, PhD, professor in cell and molecular biology, has received a prestigious $450,000 award from the Alzheimer's Association to continue his research into the BACE1 enzyme.

The largest study of physician-treated children with psoriasis around the world shows children with the skin disease are about twice as likely to be overweight or obese as children who don't have the disease, according to new Northwestern Medicine research.

People who have undergone surgery for the most common type of lung cancer may improve their overall survival and reduce the risk of recurrence by taking statins, according to new research by Feinberg investigators.

Samuel I Stupp, PhD, director of the Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine, is being honored by the American Chemical Society with its Ronald Breslow Award for Achievement in Biomimetic Chemistry.

The Women's Health Research Institute celebrated its fifth anniversary with a new leadership council, new website, and new name. The institute also presented journalist Carol Marin with its inaugural Voices for Women Award.

Jay Gottfried, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, recently published research in Neuron that sheds light on researchers' understanding of how the brain accumulates sensory information for efficient decision-making.

David Baker, MD, MPH, chief of general internal medicine and geriatrics, has been awarded the 2013 American College of Physicians' Alvan R. Feinstein Award.

If you have optimal heart health in middle age, you may live up to 14 years longer, free of cardiovascular disease, than your peers who have two or more cardiovascular disease risk factors, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

Tapping into resources only available at Northwestern, researchers at Feinberg have crafted a multidisciplinary study to investigate all aspects of primary progressive aphasia, a form of dementia.

PhD candidates Samuel Light and Joshua Waitzman study how the smallest levels of biological processes work, with the hope that their discoveries will lead to new or better drug therapies. Both scientists recently received the inaugural Driskill Award for Outstanding Student Achievement, which recognizes research that has clinical and translational significance.

Emerging research shows that prolonged sitting has significant health consequences, including an increased likelihood of developing a chronic condition such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers.

Jacek Topczewski, PhD, research associate professor of pediatrics, is investigating how congenital malformations occur by focusing his lab on a specific family of proteins and their impact on cartilage formation.

With a five-year renewal of the Northwestern University Specialized Center for Research on Sex Differences, one of 11 National Institutes of Health-supported centers, Andrea Dunaif, MD, professor in medicine, is continuing her push to elevate the world's understanding of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Parkinson's, the second most common neurodegenerative disease, is caused by the death of dopamine neurons, resulting in tremors, rigidity, and difficulty moving. Current treatments target the symptoms, but do not slow the progression of the disease. A new compound developed by Northwestern University scientists shows potential to halt its advancement.

In a new, large-scale gene-association study, an international team of scientists identified 38 new genetic regions that are associated with glucose and insulin levels in the blood. Many of these regions also have an impact on the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Co-chaired by Justin Starren, MD, PhD, division chief of preventive medicine-health and biomedical informatics, Chicago Informatics Week highlights the rapidly growing importance of healthcare informatics to the region. It coincides with the premier scientific meeting for this field, the AMIA 2012 Annual Symposium, being held here for the first time since 2007.

More than 200 Feinberg community members joined in celebrating the launch of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine on Thursday, October 18. The event provided those in attendance with an opportunity to learn more about IPHAM's nine founding centers, network with faculty, and hear from senior leadership about its vision.

On October 18, a team of Northwestern University scientists met with the Environmental Protection Agency to advocate for including women in reproductive health research. Much of the current research is done on men only, but the sexes often react differently to environmental toxins.

Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have developed the first animal model that duplicates the human response in rheumatoid arthritis, an important step that may enable scientists to discover better medicines to treat the disease.

A pioneer in the field of stem cell biology for regenerative medicine, Helen Blau, PhD, will deliver the inaugural Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Distinguished Lecture at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, October 22, inside the Hughes Auditorium.

Jonathan Licht, MD, professor and chief of hematology and medical oncology, received a grant along with a team of co-investigators from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to continue research in diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

Katherine Wisner, MD, director of the Asher Center for Research and Treatment of Depressive Disorders, has been awarded the highest honor by an international society focused on perinatal mood disorders. She is just the second American to win the prestigious Marce Medal, which she received October 5 at the biennial international conference, held this year in Paris.

Northwestern Medicine produces the first longitudinal study to track psychiatric disorders in youth after they leave detention centers.

Robert Schleimer, PhD, chief of allergy-immunology, helped to establish an unofficial consortium of interested researchers centered around the topic of chronic rhinosinusitis.

Two Northwestern University faculty members have received a prestigious 2012 NIH Director's Transformative Research Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop technology to detect cancer metastasis at its earliest stages, allowing for life-preserving interventions. Their research team includes two Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine professors.

Comprised of leading experts in their fields, members of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board advise the board of directors on a wide range of issues. These include periodically reviewing LLS's medical affairs and recommending funding for research grant awards.

Led by John Crispino, PhD, a team of Feinberg investigators has identified two promising therapies to treat patients with acute megakaryocytic leukemia, a rare form of leukemia where the number of cases is expected to increase with the aging population.

Scientific research often produces beautiful images. These pieces, judged by a panel of local artists, scientists and community leaders, are representative of real Northwestern research across a wide range of disciplines, including medicine, chemistry, engineering, nanotechnology and Earth science.

Rowland Chang, MD, MPH, director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine, delivered the lecture "Early Thoughts on Adding Value to the Feinberg Community," which highlighted the institute's structure and mission. Chang said the goal of the institute is to accelerate innovation at the interface of medicine and public health, and achieve measurable improvements in health for patients and populations.

A Northwestern Medicine study is the first to show that every time you remember an event from the past, your brain networks change in ways that can alter the later recall of the event.

Although people often say they have strep throat, most sore throats actually are caused by a virus, not streptococcus bacteria, and shouldn't be treated with antibiotics, suggest guidelines published by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.Stanford Shulman, MD, professor in pediatrics, chaired an expert panel that reviewed hundreds of studies to develop new strep throat treatment guidelines.

Brian Mustanski, PhD, associate professor of medical social sciences, has been awarded two grants totaling $5.2 million to use technology as a tool for HIV prevention among gay and bisexual men.

A new Northwestern Medicine study published Sept. 13 in Nature offers the first formula that accurately predicts a young scientist's success up to 10 years into the future, and could be useful for hiring and funding decisions.

James Surmeier, PhD, chair of physiology, has been awarded a prestigious Blueprint for Neuroscience Research grant to research and develop a neuroprotective treatment for Parkinson’s disease. For the first time in his career, Surmeier will be working with the pharmaceutical industry to bring a drug into existence.

The Division of Breast Surgery, led by Nora Hansen, MD, associate professor of surgery, will include research efforts regarding the means of preventing breast cancer, early diagnosis of breast cancer, treatment strategies, and new nanotechnological approaches to diagnose and treat the disease.

The 44 new tests, available in Spanish and English, slash the number of questions and time required for study participants by up to 90 percent.

Temper tantrums in young children can be an early signal of mental health problems, but how does a parent or pediatrician know when disruptive behavior is typical or a sign of a serious problem?

Northwestern researchers have revealed a new aspect of the interaction between the influenza virus and its host. Understanding how viruses disable the immune system can help scientists design therapeutics to preserve the immune response and keep people healthy.

Medical Scientist Training Program student Jessica Queen turned a trip to Asia into a paper that appeared on the August cover of Infection and Immunity. For Queen, the opportunity to travel to a region of the world where cholera is endemic helped put into perspective the reasons she works so hard in the lab.

A new Northwestern Medicine study takes a look at the brains of an elite group of people age 80 and older whose memories are as sharp as people 20 to 30 years younger than them.

A new research project being conducted by a collaborative team from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago is working to determine who, if anyone, should receive a hand transplant.

A new Northwestern Medicine study shows that after the human nose is experimentally blocked for one week, brain activity rapidly changes in olfactory brain regions. This change suggests the brain is compensating for the interruption of this vital sense. The brain activity returns to a normal pattern shortly after free breathing has been restored.

Neil Kelleher, the Walter and Mary E. Glass Professor of Molecular Biosciences, professor of chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Proteomics Center of Excellence at Northwestern University, has been awarded a $1 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation.

American adults of a normal weight with new-onset diabetes die at a higher rate than overweight/obese adults with the same disease, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

A new paper just published in the Journal of Bioethical Inquiry uses extensive Freedom of Information Act findings to detail an extremely troubling off-label medical intervention employed in the U.S. on pregnant women to intentionally engineer the development of their fetuses for sex normalization purposes.

Karla Satchell, PhD, associate professor in microbiology-immunology, and her team of toxin biologists are trying to learn what makes Vibrio vulnificus, found in shellfish, so deadly.

Mark Bevan, PhD, associate professor in physiology, has been granted a Jacob Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Northwestern has recently been issued patents to cover this new drug class and has licensed the commercial development to a biotech company that has recently completed the first human Phase 1 clinical trial for the drug.

Three scientists from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have been awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor given by the United States government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are in the early stages of their independent research careers.

With a number of recent studies showing the accuracy of magnetic resonance elastography in diagnosing and staging liver damage, Frank Miller, MD, professor in radiology, is researching its validity.

Stephan Schuele, MD, MPH, associate professor of neurology and physcial medicine and rehabilitation, is building a first-of-its-kind network to address sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP), which accounts for an estimated 20 percent of epilepsy-related deaths, Schuele is hoping to increase the availability of data available to researchers.

Turning concussion theories into a verified model is the basis of a new Northwestern study on concussive events among grade-schoolers.

Researcher Chyung-Ru Wang, PhD, professor in microbiology-immunology, aims to test the ability of lipid vaccines to offer resistance to mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

A weekly stress management program for patients with multiple sclerosis prevented the development of new brain lesions, a marker of the disease's activity in the brain, according to new Northwestern Medicine research.

A troubling new national study finds many agencies recruit random strangers off Craigslist and place them in the homes of vulnerable elderly people with dementia, don't do national criminal background checks or drug testing, lie about testing the qualifications of caregivers, and don't require any experience or provide real training.

A team led by a physician-scientist and a chemist - from the fields of dermatology and nanotechnology - is the first to demonstrate the use of commercial moisturizers to deliver gene regulation technology that has great potential for life-saving therapies for skin diseases.

June Robinson, MD, research professor of dermatology, has spent more than 20 years advocating for restrictions on indoor tanning and more than 30 years treating melanoma.

A new bill signed by Illinois Gov. Quinn aims to train all sixth through eighth graders across the state in hands-only CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator.

Today's ruling by the United States Supreme Court to uphold the Affordable Care Act means nearly 32 million more Americans will have their healthcare expenses covered by some form of insurance. The ruling, according to Northwestern Memorial's Chief Medical Officer, Stephen L. Ondra, MD, has potential to lead to improved treatments and outcomes for millions of patients as well as a need for more trained physicians.

Open to investigators with all levels of qualitative research experience, a new collaborative group led by experienced researchers in the field, and sponsored by the Feinberg Academy of Medical Educators and Faculty Affairs, is providing peer mentorship and dialogue on the topic.

Today's senior citizens are reporting fewer visual impairment problems than their counterparts from a generation ago, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

Lewis Landsberg, MD, director of the Northwestern University Comprehensive Center on Obesity, was awarded the 2012 Tripartite Legacy Faculty Prize in Translational Science and Education during a ceremony on June 26.

Katherine Wisner, MD, MS, an expert in the identification, characterization, and treatment of mood disorders in women, and a pioneer in psychiatric disorders associated with childbirth, is joining Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine on July 1 as the Asher Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

A part of April's images in clinical medicine section of the New England Journal of Medicine, the image of a 69-year-old truck driver illustrates the damaging powers of UVA rays.

We have become a nation of hypochondriacs, says a Northwestern Medicine professor in a new book that explores our ratcheting anxiety about our bodies and health.

Northwestern University Nikon Imaging Center-Cell Imaging Facility is the first American imaging center to become a member of the EuroBioImaging Consortium.

Susan Quaggin, MD, an international authority in the field of nephrology, will join Feinberg as the Charles Horace Mayo Professor of Medicine, and serve as director of the Feinberg Cardiovascular Research Institute and chief of the Division of Nephrology.

Since 2007, students in NUvention: Medical Innovation have pitched medical devices to company representatives after six months of coursework, research, and development. In that time, multiple groups from four Northwestern University schools have gone on to maintain a business profile outside of the classroom.

White people seem to sleep longer at night, have a better quality of sleep, and experience less daytime sleepiness than people identified as black, Hispanic, or Asian, according to a new study from Northwestern Medicine.

A new Northwestern University study suggests that our bodies might increase investments to slow the pace of aging if our father and grandfather waited until they were older before having children.

On June 15, Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM, will become the new director of the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute and senior associate dean for clinical and translational research at the medical school.

A $10 million gift from the Querrey Simpson Charitable Foundation will establish the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Center for Regenerative Nanomedicine. The center will operate within Northwestern’s Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine and support bold, risk-taking research ideas that could offer solutions to challenging human health problems as well as develop life-enhancing therapies.

As part of a multi-institutional, international consortium, investigators at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine are using X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance to examine the atomic details of proteins from human pathogens.

New Northwestern study is the first to map children's food allergies by geographical location in the United States.

New Northwestern Medicine research shows patients who had therapy sessions provided over the phone were more likely to complete 18 weeks of treatment than those who had face-to-face sessions.

A simple but profound new Northwestern Medicine study finds that simply changing one unhealthy habit can help you also eliminate others.

Over the past year there has been an increase in the amount of inventions, licenses, and startups generated from the medical school, especially in the area of medical devices.

A new Northwestern University study shows that the biological clock is not the only clock women trying to conceive should consider. The circadian clock needs attention, too.

Scars left behind by childhood cancer treatments are more than skin-deep. The increased risk of disfigurement and persistent hair loss caused by childhood cancer and treatment are associated with emotional distress and reduced quality of life in adulthood, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

Frank Penedo, PhD, a nationally-renowned health psychologist, will join Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine on June 1 as a professor of medical social sciences.

Northwestern study first to document the immediate and long-term brain changes after treatment to reduce fears, and to illustrate how the brain reorganizes long-term to reduce fear as a result of the therapy. The findings show the lasting effectiveness of short-exposure therapy for a phobia and offer new directions for treating other phobias and anxiety disorders.

Research by Debu Chakravarti, PhD, associate professor in reproductive biology, reveals that THAP11, a protein in a family of 12, stood out as being overexpressed in human colon cancer cells.

The Northwestern University Radiation Tissue Archives is believed to be the world's largest collection of irradiated animal tissue samples.

The annual CNADC Alzheimer's Day provides an opportunity for students and researchers to learn more about the important aging and dementia research taking place at Northwestern.

The Institute for Women's Health Research is hosting a forum, poster session, and exhibit May 15 to celebrate National Women's Health Awareness Week.

New Northwestern Medicine preclinical research has for the first time identified the molecular trigger of uterine fibroids.

Philip Greenland, MD, Harry W. Dingman Professor of Cardiology, the founding director of the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, has indicated a wish to relinquish his role as institute director this spring.

Four Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine faculty members were honored over the weekend with election into the Association of American Physicians and American Society for Clinical Investigation.

With recent evidence suggesting nicotine may not be the only culprit causing smokers' bones to take longer to heal, Wellington Hsu, MD, is in the lab looking for answers.

iExperiment, is part of a suite of new applications developed by Northwestern University Information Technology (NUIT) and the Oncofertility Consortium. iExperiment is a portal where scientists can watch and participate in experiments that are taking place around the globe.

A new Northwestern Medicine brain-machine technology delivers messages from the brain directly to the muscles, bypassing the spinal cord, to enable voluntary and complex movement of a paralyzed hand.

A Northwestern Medicine scientist has developed the first blood test to diagnose major depression in teens, a breakthrough approach that allows an objective diagnosis by measuring a specific set of genetic markers found in a patient's blood.

For the first time a group of researchers are following teens who are at a high risk for mental illness to track changes that occur in the brain as they live their lives. The study, the Chicago Adolescent Longitudinal Project, aims to not only identify early markers of mental illness but also facilitate early intervention.

A new study from Boyd Metzger, MD,a professor of medicine-endocrinology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, shows women who are just above average for weight and blood sugar are at a higher risk of bad pregnancy outcomes than previously known.

As the only lab making the rabies virus at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Steven DeVries, PhD, and Yongling Zhu, PhD, are using it to explore the retina.

More than 290 poster entries were submitted as part of the record-breaking eighth annual Lewis Landsberg Research Day.

A new drug developed by Northwestern Medicine® scientists prevented human prostate cancer cells from spreading to other tissues without any toxic effects to normal cells or tissues. The drug turns off the "go" switch in the cancer cells and immobilizes them.

Robert Fragen, MD, professor emeritus of anesthesiology, has written a book, "From Promise to Excellence: A History of the Department of Anesthesiology of Northwestern University Medical School from 1966-2010."

Internationally known for her research on the mechanisms of birth defects, Patricia Donahoe, MD, professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and director of the pediatric surgical research laboratories at Massachusetts General Hospital, presented the 16th annual Distinguished Women in Medicine and Science Lecture on March 22.

A genetic pathway previously known for its role in embryonic development and cancer has been identified as a target for systemic sclerosis, or scleroderma, therapy. The finding, discovered by medical school researchers, was recently published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

The number of American children leaving doctors' offices with an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis has risen 66 percent in 10 years, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has moved up one spot to No. 18 in the 2013 U.S. News & World Report rankings of top research-oriented medical schools in the country.

Northwestern University scientists have developed a powerful analytical method that directs stem cell differentiation. Researchers can use the method, called nanocombinatorics, to build enormous libraries of physical structures varying in size. Details of the method and proof of concept is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

New ongoing research suggests organ transplant recipients may not require anti-rejection medication in the future thanks to the power of stem cells, which may prove to be able to be manipulated in mismatched kidney donor and recipient pairs to allow for successful transplantation without immunosuppressive drugs.

James C. Russ, CO, professor emeritus of orthotics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, died on Feb. 25 at the age of 77 of a heart attack in his home in Glenview, Illinois.

A new study finds maintaining a healthy lifestyle from young adulthood into your 40s is strongly associated with low cardiovascular disease risk in middle age.

Research to Prevent Blindness awarded a grant to the Department of Ophthalmology to support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding diseases.

Christian Stehlik, PhD, professor of Rheumatology at Feinberg, discovered a protein in macrophage cells that identifies bacterial cell wall components in harmful bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes.

Alzheimer's drug may act like bad electrician, messing up wiring in brain and nervous system.

Northwestern Medicine looks at the complications and medical consequences of body piercings. The paper also offers suggestions to minimize complications.

One man will embark on a mission equivalent to climbing Willis Tower, jogging to the Hancock Building, walking to the top, and then running the 24 miles roundtrip to Northwestern's Evanston campus ... all to support research for primary progressive aphasia, a form of dementia that has stricken his grandfather.

The first longitudinal study to look at suicide ideation and self-harm in the LGBT population shows support from friends and family offers the most protection.

Scientists at a new Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine center are inventing web-based, mobile, and virtual technologies to treat mood disorders.

Renowned for his research in self-assembly and regenerative medicine, Samuel Stupp elected to elite society.

A new study shows that PSAV risk count testing may provide a more effective screening for significant prostate cancer.