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.
Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
01.26.2026Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered new mechanisms underlying transcriptional initiation and elongation control that support proper gene expression, which may inform targeted therapeutic approaches for many diseases, according to a recent study published in Molecular Cell.
01.08.2026A Northwestern Medicine study has revealed a connection between two fundamental cellular processes, offering fresh insight into how human cells build and maintain chromatin, according to findings published in Molecular Cell.
12.22.2025In a landmark effort to understand how the physical structure of our DNA influences human biology, Northwestern investigators and the 4D Nucleome Project have unveiled the most detailed maps to date of the genome’s three‑dimensional organization across time and space, according to a new study published in Nature.
Cell and Developmental Biology
03.30.2026Scientists led by Sergey Troyanovsky, PhD, professor of Dermatology and of Cell and Developmental Biology, have uncovered new intracellular mechanisms promoting cell-cell adhesion, a process disrupted in a variety of skin and inflammatory diseases, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Cell Biology.
02.05.2026A Northwestern Medicine study has shed light on one of the most intricate construction projects in biology: how cells build and coordinate the internal scaffolding needed to create a healthy egg, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Cell Biology.
12.15.2025The tiniest parts of the cell may provide new insights into challenging neurodegenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). New research from Northwestern University has revealed a key mechanism underlying the development of motor neuron diseases, such as ALS, offering new insights into potential treatment options. This new finding published in the Journal of Neuroscience, comes from the lab of Vladimir Gelfand, PhD, and may help inform the treatment of ALS and other motor neuron diseases.
Microbiology-Immunology
03.12.2026Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered how calcium signaling channels in the brain’s immune cells regulate neuroinflammation and promote the development of behaviors associated with affective mood disorders, according to a recent study published in Science Signaling.
02.04.2026Lyme disease, the bacterial infection transmitted by ticks, is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, with nearly half a million people diagnosed and treated each year, according to the CDC. Two pivotal studies on Lyme disease from the lab of Brandon Jutras, PhD, provide important insights into what may cause persistent Lyme disease symptoms in a subset of patients. This research points to some promising new directions for both diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.
01.02.2026Northwestern Medicine scientists in the laboratory of Stephen Miller, PhD, have identified the cellular and molecular mechanisms required for the antigen-specific tolerance inducing abilities of a novel nanoparticle therapy for treating autoimmune diseases, according to a recent study published in Science Advances.
Pharmacology
04.07.2026A little-studied group of cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream may play a bigger role in breast cancer progression than previously thought, according to new research published in Science Translational Medicine that sheds light on how the disease spreads and why some patients fare worse than others.
03.16.2026Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders affecting nearly one percent of people worldwide. The Department of Pharmacology at Feinberg is leading research to understand the genetic causes of childhood-onset epilepsy, and to investigate what is happening perinatally to brain development in these cases.
- 03.12.2026
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered how calcium signaling channels in the brain’s immune cells regulate neuroinflammation and promote the development of behaviors associated with affective mood disorders, according to a recent study published in Science Signaling.
Neuroscience
03.16.2026Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered an FDA-approved compound promotes neuroprotective effects in experimental models of Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
01.05.2026Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that targeting neuronal signaling controlling aberrant learning in the striatum may improve the efficacy of a first-line therapy for Parkinson’s disease and has the potential to reduce therapy-related side effects, according to a recent study published in Science Advances.
12.09.2025The human brain is often described as the most complex network in existence, with billions of neurons exchanging signals across intricate pathways. Recent research led by Feinberg investigators is revealing how different regions of the brain coordinate and process information, and how disruptions in these networks can impact health.