News
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
10.03.2025Distinguished biochemist Svetlana Mojsov, PhD, the Lulu Chow Wang and Robin Chemers Neustein Research Associate Professor at the Rockefeller University, New York, has been named the winner of the annual $250,000 Kimberly Prize in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics.
10.01.2025A new study has shed light on how a class of diabetes drugs may protect the kidneys — not just by lowering blood sugar, but by triggering a molecular shift that dampens inflammation, according to the study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
09.29.2025Northwestern Medicine scientists have developed a comprehensive atlas of genetic coding sequences in both healthy adult hearts and those with heart failure, as detailed in a recent study published in Circulation.
Cell and Developmental Biology
09.24.2025A novel monoclonal antibody treatment developed in collaboration with Northwestern Medicine scientists reduced inflammation and immune dysregulation in mouse models of sepsis, underscoring the antibody’s therapeutic potential in treating the disease, according to a recent study.
09.17.2025Brian Mitchell, PhD, is an associate professor of Cell and Developmental Biology. His laboratory aims to understand the integration of cell signaling and cytoskeletal dynamics on diverse developmental processes including centriole amplification, cell migration and cell polarity. He is also a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and the Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-Based Center.
09.16.2025Scientists at Feinberg are reshaping scientific understanding of the cell’s tiniest components—structures once thought to be static, now revealed to be dynamic engines of cellular life.
Microbiology-Immunology
09.03.2025A new Northwestern Medicine study has uncovered a surprising molecular link between HIV-1 and a protein fragment associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
08.28.2025Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered how a common virus linked to birth defects and chronic illness manipulates host DNA, according to a new study published in Nature Communications.
06.10.2025Every year at Feinberg, a handful of start-up companies are born from discoveries in the lab. Paperwork is filed for hundreds of inventions and patents; patents are issued and the process for optioning and licensing technology through Northwestern’s Innovations and New Ventures Office (INVO) can be the launching point for scientists to bring their research to commercialization.
Pharmacology
10.08.2025Richard Smith, PhD, assistant professor of Pharmacology and of Pediatrics, has received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award, which supports early-career investigators conducting high-risk and innovative research in the biomedical, behavioral or social sciences.
09.17.2025In a pair of studies, investigators from the lab of Huiping Liu, MD, PhD, have uncovered how specific cellular interactions in the bloodstream may be fueling the spread of breast cancer.
08.05.2025Scientists have implemented a novel gene-editing approach that may be an effective treatment for alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC), a rare neurodevelopmental disorder in children, according to a recent study published in Cell.
Neuroscience
09.02.2025When Sandra Edwards of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease in her late 30s, it marked the beginning of a decades-long journey that has inspired a powerful legacy: a gift to support neurodegenerative disease research at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
04.30.2025A new Northwestern Medicine study has identified the molecular mechanisms that cause a commonly prescribed antipsychotic drug to produce harmful side effects similar to Parkinson’s disease symptoms, according to findings published in Molecular Psychiatry.
04.03.2025D. James Surmeier, PhD, was awarded a two-year grant from Spark NS for the development of a calcium channel inhibitor to slow Parkinson’s Disease progression. This is one of only eight projects and principal investigators selected for the SPARK NS Translational Research Program 2025 Cohort. Participation in a SPARK NS program cohort lasts two years and includes milestone-based funding of up to $2,000,0001 for each project, education and training in drug development and translational research for participating teams, mentoring from 75+ industry expert advisors, and scientific and business networking opportunities.