Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified a novel mechanism for how mutations in desmoplakin — a protein that helps cells stick together — can lead to cardiac arrhythmias and other diseases.

A new study has found that obese patients with metastatic melanoma live significantly longer than those with a normal body mass index — especially male patients treated with targeted or immune therapy.

Immune cells migrating from the bloodstream to the brain may contribute to seizures in pediatric epilepsy, according to new findings published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Antibodies that reverse immune system suppression may be able to be used to treat a rare type of melanoma, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the journal Nature.

<a href="http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/faculty-profiles/az/profile.html?xid=15591">Roopal Kundu, ’01 MD, ’02 GME</a>, guides students through the admissions process and beyond.

Scientists in the Department of Dermatology are working hard to better understand the fundamentals of skin biology and to bring those discoveries to the forefront of skin treatment.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Eversight, a global nonprofit network of eye banks, has awarded a $15,000 Eye and Vision Research Grant to Northwestern University’s Han Peng, Ph.D.

Dr. Peng was among nine recipients who received grants from Eversight for projects that aligned with the organization’s mission to restore sight and prevent blindness. The awards were determined by an independent review panel composed of distinguished scientists, ophthalmologists and health services researchers.

Dr. Peng, a research assistant professor in the department of dermatology at Feinberg School of Medicine, is investigating a possible approach for improving the treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), a problem that is often not recognized and treated in its early stages and may lead to corneal ulceration, scarring, chronic pain and vision loss.

LSCD occurs because of the loss of limbal epithelial stem cells, but Dr. Peng’s research hypothesizes that an enzyme his team has identified, factor inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (FIH-1), may preserve more stem cells. The establishment of stem-cell enriched cultures has the potential to significantly improve the outcome of corneal transplantation for patients with LSCD.

The Eye and Vision Research Grant program has awarded more than $3.5 million since 1980 to stimulate new and pioneering research. Several of these grant projects have led to larger studies and financial support from the National Institutes of Health.

“There’s a real void when it comes to funding the initial investigative work that can launch new and groundbreaking discoveries,” said Dr. Gregory Grossman, Eversight Director of Research. “But Eversight is committed to supporting research that may potentially lead to innovative therapies and treatments.”

The Eversight Center for Eye and Vision Research is one of the only eye bank-led programs focused on providing scientists with innovative resources they need to find new cures and treatments for blinding eye conditions. For more information, visit eversightvision.org/research.

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About Eversight: Eversight is a charitable, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to restore sight and prevent blindness through the healing power of donation, transplantation and research. Our network of community eye banks—in Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and South Korea—is responsible for recovering, evaluating and providing human eye tissue for transplantation; supporting research into the causes and cures of blinding eye conditions; promoting donation awareness through public and professional education; and providing humanitarian aid to people around the world in need of corneal transplantation. For more information, visit eversightvision.org.

Consumer complaints for cosmetic products have more than doubled, but consumers may remain at risk because the industry receives little regulatory scrutiny, according to new research.

Northwestern Medicine scientists showed how a microRNA family regulates aspects of autophagy and macropinocytosis in the stem cell–enriched limbal epithelium of the eye.

Nearly 40 percent of patients with atopic dermatitis saw their disease completely or almost completely cleared with a new drug called dupilumab, according to a Northwestern Medicine clinical trial.

Forty percent of top-selling sunscreens don’t meet national standards for protection, and consumers are spending up to 3,000 percent more for products that provide equivalent benefit, according to new research.

Patients with psoriasis saw their disease completely or almost completely cleared with a new drug called ixekizumab in three recent clinical trials led by a Northwestern Medicine investigator

In a recent study, Northwestern Medicine scientists described a new process that explains how the adhesion between epithelial cells occurs.

Northwestern Medicine investigators published the results of a clinical trial showing that a new psoriasis drug called guselkumab has greater efficacy than the current standard of care.