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.
To share news, take a moment to complete this form.
Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
12.18.2024A new study has provided direct evidence in mice that the drug reversibly cuts the cell’s energy supply by interfering with mitochondria to lower glucose levels.
12.12.2024Northwestern University scientists have designed a new implantable device that can monitor fluctuating levels of proteins within the body in real time.
12.09.2024Distinguished biochemist Ron Evans, PhD, director of the Gene Expression Laboratory and professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has been named the winner of the annual $250,000 Kimberly Prize in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics.
Cell and Developmental Biology
12.02.2024Northwestern Medicine scientists have uncovered new details about how the spinal column forms in developing vertebrates, according to a study published in Developmental Cell.
11.18.2024The COVID-19 virus spreads via mucus once inside an infected airway, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in Nature Communications.
08.30.2024An international team of investigators have discovered that oligodendrocytes contribute approximately one-third of plaque formation alongside neurons in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study published in Nature Neuroscience.
Microbiology-Immunology
10.28.2024Investigators led by Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster, PhD, associate professor of Microbiology-Immunology, have discovered that administering an antibody treatment four days after mRNA vaccination significantly improved vaccine efficacy in mice, according to findings published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
10.03.2024Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a new underlying mechanisms that controls a specialized group of T-cells, findings that may serve as potential targets for treating inflammatory diseases and cancer, according to a recent study.
09.16.2024Rex Chisholm, PhD, vice dean for Scientific Affairs and Graduate Education, kicked off this year’s celebration by welcoming attendees and presenting the Tripartite Legacy Faculty Prize in Translational Science and Education to Alan Hauser, MD, PhD, professor and vice chair of Microbiology-Immunology, and the Medical Faculty Council Mentors of the Year awards to Hauser and Scott Budinger, MD, chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care in the Department of Medicine.
Pharmacology
11.07.2024In research published in Science Advances, scientists at Northwestern and Case Western Reserve universities have developed the first polymer-based therapeutic for Huntington’s disease, an incurable, debilitating illness that causes nerve cells to break down in the brain.
10.24.2024Scientists have discovered an RNA that controls how much or how little protein is produced by a gene, with implications for neurodevelopmental disorders like epilepsy and autism.
06.10.2024Northwestern Medicine investigators have identified novel genetic mechanisms that regulate blood vessel growth in the retina and may also serve as therapeutic targets for retinal vascular disease, according to findings published in Nature Communications.
Neuroscience
11.05.2024Within a few days of injury, scientists can predict which patients will develop chronic pain based on the extent of cross “talk” between two regions of the brain, and the person’s anxiety level after the injury, according to a new Northwestern study.
10.08.2024Northwestern has established the Denning Ataxia Center, a multidisciplinary hub dedicated to improving the understanding of ataxia through integrating leading-edge research with patient-centered clinical care, with the goal of unraveling the complexities of the condition and developing improved treatments.
- 08.30.2024
An international team of investigators have discovered that oligodendrocytes contribute approximately one-third of plaque formation alongside neurons in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study published in Nature Neuroscience.