News and Announcements
Read the latest news from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine’s basic science academic departments. The links below take you to articles where you can learn more about our faculty’s latest achievements.
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Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
- 10.17.2024
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered how a protein in a deadly type of lung cancer can control how the immune system responds to the tumor, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- 08.21.2024
Scientists have discovered how interactions between RNA and the TOP1 essential enzyme, which is overexpressed in many human cancers, regulate DNA during transcription and may inform the creation of new cancer therapies, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in Molecular Cell.
- 08.08.2024
Investigators from the laboratory of Marc Mendillo, PhD, have discovered new cellular regulators of an established cancer cell transcription factor linked to cancer cell resilience and tumor progression, according to findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Cell and Developmental Biology
- 12.02.2024
Northwestern Medicine scientists have uncovered new details about how the spinal column forms in developing vertebrates, according to a study published in Developmental Cell.
- 11.18.2024
The COVID-19 virus spreads via mucus once inside an infected airway, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in Nature Communications.
- 08.30.2024
An international team of investigators have discovered that oligodendrocytes contribute approximately one-third of plaque formation alongside neurons in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study published in Nature Neuroscience.
Microbiology-Immunology
- 10.28.2024
Investigators led by Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster, PhD, associate professor of Microbiology-Immunology, have discovered that administering an antibody treatment four days after mRNA vaccination significantly improved vaccine efficacy in mice, according to findings published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
- 10.03.2024
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a new underlying mechanisms that controls a specialized group of T-cells, findings that may serve as potential targets for treating inflammatory diseases and cancer, according to a recent study.
- 09.16.2024
Rex Chisholm, PhD, vice dean for Scientific Affairs and Graduate Education, kicked off this year’s celebration by welcoming attendees and presenting the Tripartite Legacy Faculty Prize in Translational Science and Education to Alan Hauser, MD, PhD, professor and vice chair of Microbiology-Immunology, and the Medical Faculty Council Mentors of the Year awards to Hauser and Scott Budinger, MD, chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care in the Department of Medicine.
Pharmacology
- 11.07.2024
In research published in Science Advances, scientists at Northwestern and Case Western Reserve universities have developed the first polymer-based therapeutic for Huntington’s disease, an incurable, debilitating illness that causes nerve cells to break down in the brain.
- 10.24.2024
Scientists have discovered an RNA that controls how much or how little protein is produced by a gene, with implications for neurodevelopmental disorders like epilepsy and autism.
- 06.10.2024
Northwestern Medicine investigators have identified novel genetic mechanisms that regulate blood vessel growth in the retina and may also serve as therapeutic targets for retinal vascular disease, according to findings published in Nature Communications.
Neuroscience
- 11.05.2024
Within a few days of injury, scientists can predict which patients will develop chronic pain based on the extent of cross “talk” between two regions of the brain, and the person’s anxiety level after the injury, according to a new Northwestern study.
- 10.08.2024
Northwestern has established the Denning Ataxia Center, a multidisciplinary hub dedicated to improving the understanding of ataxia through integrating leading-edge research with patient-centered clinical care, with the goal of unraveling the complexities of the condition and developing improved treatments.
- 08.30.2024
An international team of investigators have discovered that oligodendrocytes contribute approximately one-third of plaque formation alongside neurons in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study published in Nature Neuroscience.