Innovation Spotlight: Empowering Feinberg's Unsung Heroes

This story was published in the March 2025 issue of The Philanthropist, a newsletter for supporters and friends of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Read past issues here.

Each day, our faculty, students, and trainees at Feinberg dedicate time to innovate new ideas and programs that will move the needle in medicine and science. Here, we spotlight some of the exciting work that often happens behind the scenes and beyond daily clinical care.

Thank you to all the donors who contribute to these efforts, now and in the future. Your philanthropy fuels these projects and programs—enabling their very existence and empowering them to grow for the benefit of patients today and tomorrow.

Analyzing the Genetic Mechanisms
of Cancer Metabolism

Lillian Eichner, ’04, PhD, assistant professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, studies how certain genes and cellular processes contribute to cancer. Her work focuses primarily on the LKB1/STK11 gene, which is often mutated in a type of lung cancer called non-small cell lung cancer. By studying this gene in mouse models, Dr. Eichner and her lab have discovered important details about how these mutations drive cancer development. Their goal is to find weak points in cancer cells that can be targeted with new treatments. Essentially, the scientists are looking for ways to disrupt the cancer’s ability to grow and survive by focusing on its genetic, epigenetic, and metabolic dependencies. The research could lead to more effective therapies for patients with both mutated and non-mutated forms of the LKB1/STK11 gene.

For more information on supporting the efforts above, contact Jeff Masters at 312-503-1917 or jeffrey.masters@northwestern.edu.

Targeting Cellular Signaling Pathways to Treat Vascular Disease

Luisa Iruela-Arispe, PhD, chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and the Stephen Walter Ranson Professor of Cell Biology, studies how cells move, grow, and malfunction, resulting in disease. Specifically, her lab explores the intricate signaling pathways that regulate vessel formation and remodeling, aiming to uncover novel therapeutic targets for treating vascular anomalies and related disorders. Recently, Dr. Iruela-Arispe and colleagues have focused on the origins of vascular malformations and vascular dementia with the goal to accelerate diagnosis and develop strategies to reduce or delay symptoms for these highly debilitating conditions.

For more information on supporting the efforts above, contact Dave McCreery at 312-503-6099 or david.mccreery@northwestern.edu.

Using Cutting-Edge DNA Sequencing to Parse Epilepsy and Autism

Gemma Carvill, PhD, assistant professor of Neurology, Pharmacology, and Pediatrics, investigates the genetic causes of epilepsy, autism, and related neurogenetic disorders. Her research uses cutting-edge DNA sequencing technologies and novel computational algorithms to discover new genetic variants that cause epilepsy. While protein coding regions of the genome are well studied, non-coding regions (which make up 99% of the human genome) are generally ignored. Dr. Carvill and her team focus on these non-coding regions, specifically long non-coding RNAs (e.g., CHASERR) and poison exons, which control gene expression in the cell. By studying these non-coding regions, Dr. Carvill aims to develop new gene-targeting precision therapies for individuals living with epilepsy, autism, and other neurological conditions. The overall goal of Dr. Carvill’s lab is to shift from treating the symptoms of neurological conditions to treating the root genetic cause of the condition using precision therapies.

For more information on supporting the efforts above, contact Jordan Sund at 312-503-2706 or jordan.sund@northwestern.edu.

Optimizing Combination Therapies for GI Cancers

Devalingam Mahalingam, MD, PhD, professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, is leading translational research and clinical trials to evaluate new treatments for gastrointestinal and pancreatic-biliary cancers. His team investigates why certain cancers resist treatment as well as the roles of cell death, or apoptosis, and cell recycling, or autophagy, in cancer. Additionally, he is spearheading studies of oncolytic viral therapy, an approach that uses viruses to target cancer cells and boost the immune system’s response to cancer. At Northwestern Medicine, Dr. Mahalingam oversees the Developmental Therapeutics unit that treats over 300 patients annually, using novel therapies to combat cancers where standard therapies have failed. Ultimately, he intends to advance the efficacy of combination therapies including the use of precision oncology in cancer treatment.

For more information on supporting the efforts above, contact Nicole Langert at 312-503-1656 or nicole.langert@northwestern.edu.