Research
Research in our department occurs in a highly collegial atmosphere that involves interdisciplinary collaborations across the departments and institutes of Feinberg School of Medicine and extend to our Evanston campus. We place strong emphasis in mechanistic studies that integrate genomics, molecular biology, biochemistry and are supported by comprehensive quantification and biostatistics.
Recently renamed from the Department of Cell & Molecular Biology to the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, we are undergoing a significant expansion in areas related to developmental biology.
Areas of Focus
Cell Adhesion, Signaling & Metabolism
Works to better understand at single-cell resolution how cells, tissues and organs communicate in order to survive and function in an integrated fashion.
Cell Biology of HIV
Explores how the HIV virus interacts with cells during infection to gain new insights into how the disease is transmitted.
Mechanotransduction
Aims to understand how cells sense physical forces and translate them into biochemical and biological responses.
Cytoskeleton
Studies the cytoskeleton and how it provides mechanical strength, regulates signal transduction and moves organelles and materials within the cell.
Neuroscience & Alzheimer's
Deciphers why neuron transport disruptions and structural protein alterations occur and how they lead to disease.
Nuclear Architecture & Function
Works to understand how the eukaryotic nucleus is assembled and organized and how its activities are regulated.
Affiliated Centers
Center for Advanced Microscopy
The Center for Advanced Microscopy at Northwestern offers state-of-the art instrumentation and services for the study of biological processes at the whole animal, tissue, cellular and subcellular levels. The facility’s basic services include electron microscopy, super resolution microscopy (SIM & STORM), fluorescence laser scanning and spinning disk microscopy, fluorescent lifetime imaging, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy microscopy, automated high throughput tissue cytometry, laser capture microdissection, multiphoton imaging and whole animal bioluminescent and fluorescent imaging. It's home to the Nikon Imaging Center.
Our Facilities
- Feinberg Research Cores: Core facilities that support Feinberg investigators; find more information and services offered on the individual facility pages.
- Northwestern University Shared Research Facilities: These research laboratories share instrumentation, services and technical support with the Northwestern University research community.
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University: Provides low-cost media, sera, tissue culture reagents, molecular biology enzymes and kits to laboratories at Northwestern and affiliated hospitals.
