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, awards and honors.
Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
06.10.2022Recent studies have pointed to an expanded role for non-coding RNA, according to a Northwestern Medicine review.
05.12.2022A Northwestern Medicine study published in Nature Immunology has discovered that mitochondria control the activation of a specific protein complex linked to inflammation and the progression of chronic diseases.
05.10.2022A transcription factor associated with androgen receptor activity in prostate cancer has a newly discovered role in controlling lipid biosynthesis.
Cell and Developmental Biology
06.01.2022A Northwestern Medicine study has uncovered distinct roles of major nuclear lamin isoforms in maintaining intracellular interactions and cellular mechanics.
04.07.2022Investigators have discovered that two cytoskeletal proteins which were previously thought to function independently actually interact and form essential cytoskeletal networks within the cell surface.
03.11.2022Motor proteins “slingshot” microtubules within developing egg cells of fruit flies, creating a current that transports mRNA to a developing egg.
Microbiology-Immunology
05.25.2022The Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Initiative at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University is bringing together Feinberg investigators who study immunotherapy to increase collaboration and accelerate high-impact immunotherapy research.
04.05.2022Expression of a growth factor after heart injury activates the lymphatic system, spurring leukocytes to help clear away dying cells, according to a recent study.
01.25.2022Gregory Smith, professor of Microbiology-Immunology at Feinberg, has been investigating a path to long-needed vaccine development for herpes virus. He recently published findings in the journal Nature that bring the possibility of a preventive vaccine a step closer.
Pharmacology
06.17.2022A subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels was found to have a functional role in T-cells, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
03.31.2022Higher doses of anti-seizure medications may be necessary during pregnancy, according to a recent study.
03.04.2022Northwestern Medicine scientists discovered functional links between dozens of potassium channel gene variants and neonatal epilepsy.
Neuroscience
05.25.2022Northwestern scientists have captured first-of-its-kind in vivo calcium imaging from the CA1 hippocampus (HPC) – the area of the brain essential for memory, spatial navigation and learning – in freely moving rats, offering a better visual representation of how HPC cells organize and change over time.
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that calcium imaging in rats captures a high number of stable place cells – results consistent with firing patterns seen in electrophysiology and in contrast to mouse imaging studies that only capture a low percentage of place cells. The use of the rat model, which is physiologically more like humans than the mouse model, is also an opportunity to improve experimental processes and holds implications for broadening understanding of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
05.04.2022Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a master gene that programs ear hair cells’ development, overcoming a major hurdle towards restoring hearing.
04.28.2022Four members of the Northwestern University faculty have been elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. Sara A. Solla, professor of Neuroscience, is among this year’s class of 261 artists, scholars, scientists and leaders in the public, nonprofit and private sectors.