Breakthroughs

In this episode, Peter Penzes, PhD, director of the  Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment  at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, discusses a recent discovery of a schizophrenia biomarker and how this research could one day offer earlier diagnosis, more precise treatment, and better outcomes for patients.   Learn more about how the  field of neurodevelopmental research has evolv...

Fetal surgery can be lifesaving for babies diagnosed with complex conditions before birth, but it comes with significant challenges, including limited ability to monitor the fetus in real time. A Northwestern Medicine team has developed a first-of-its-kind flexible probe, designed for continuous real-time fetal monitoring during surgery.    This innovation is the result of a collaboration between...

As the new chief of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Jennie Kwon, DO, is working in a rapidly evolving field rich with opportunities for discovery and impact. Her own research focus is one of the most pressing challenges in medicine today: antimicrobial resistance.  In this episode, she discusses the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance and w...

We are re-sharing this episode on dopamine and subtypes of dopaminergic neurons that may provide new insights into how we think about the role of dopamine. Rajeshwar Awatramani, PhD ,  and  Daniel Dombeck, PhD led this research, and in this episode they explain how the results could change the field of dopamine research and pave the way for new research possibilities, especially concerning Parkins...

A new, rapid Hepatitis C test developed by Northwestern University scientists could change the future of Hepatitis C care by delivering faster diagnosis and treatments for a disease that is estimated to  impact   50 million people  around the world. The research behind this new test, which was built on the DASH (Diagnostic Analyzer for Specific Hybridization) Rapid PCR system  developed at Northwe...

Our understanding of how viral infections can affect the brain has changed dramatically in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic and research into long COVID has accelerated some of this new knowledge. Igor Koralnik, MD, chief of Neuro-Infectious Diseases and Global Neurology in the Department of Neurology at Feinberg has studied the long-term neurological effects of COVID-19 and developed tools...

A novel functional MRI (fMRI) technique has been developed by Northwestern Medicine investigators to  more accurately assess blood flow  in the spinal cord. In this episode,  Molly Bright, DPhil , explains how his noninvasive method could one day help clinicians detect early signs of neurological disease or injury,  monitor  recovery and guide treatment decisions for patients with spinal cord cond...

Lyme disease, the bacterial infection transmitted by ticks, is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, with nearly half a million people diagnosed and treated each year, according to the CDC. Two pivotal studies on Lyme disease from the lab of Brandon Jutras, PhD, provide important insights into what may cause persistent Lyme disease symptoms in a subset of patients. This resear...

The tiniest parts of the cell may provide new insights into challenging neurodegenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). New research from Northwestern University has revealed a key mechanism underlying the development of motor neuron diseases, such as ALS, offering new insights into potential treatment options. This new finding published in the Journal of Neuroscience, comes f...

One of the many ways the Human Longevity Laboratory at Feinberg is studying aging is through the lens of the retina. Manjot Gill, MD, a Northwestern Medicine retina specialist, explains the unique multi-disciplinary approach of the lab and how she is using AI in retinal imaging to predict biological age and help validate interventions that may slow aging. She is v ice ch air of c linical p erforma...

Brian Garibaldi, MD, the founding director of Northwestern Medicine's new Center for Bedside Medicine, discusses the importance and future of bedside medicine. A renowned pulmonologist and medical educator, Garibaldi addresses how modern technology can integrate with traditional clinical skills to improve diagnosis, deepen patient relationships and reduce physician burnout. He also explains how th...

Sachin Patel, MD, PhD, is the chair and Lizzie Gilman Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Feinberg and diretor of the Stephen M. Stahl Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience. In this episode, he talks about the current mental health crisis in this country, his research and vision for the department. Since this episode was originally released,  Patel has   published findings  in the jou...

Viral pneumonia can cause severe lung damage and make recovery long and life-threatening for patients. Current treatments only provide support, not repair, but Northwestern Medicine scientist  Benjamin Singer, MD , wants to change that. In this episode, he details a recent discovery from his team that found laboratory-modified T-cells or induced regulatory T-cells ( iTregs ), can promote lung tiss...

We're resharing an episode from October 2022. How are habits – both good and bad – formed in the brain, and what role do habits play in diseases of the brain? These are some of the questions  neuroscientist , Talia Lerner , PhD, is investigating in her lab . Her recent study, published in Cell Reports , may change the overall understanding of how habits are formed and could be broken .     Since t...

Uniting scientists and harnessing the power of the immune system to fight disease is at the heart of the C enter for Human Immunobiology (CHI).  Stephanie Eisenbarth, MD, PhD,  leads the center, and she is also the  chief of Allergy and Immunology  in the  Department of Medicine .    Since this episode was first recorded in fall 2022, Eisenbarth's team has launched  a clinical trial  to study  a n...

An experimental drug called NU-9 was invented at Northwestern University by Richard Silverman, PhD . It has been approved for clinical trials for the treatment of ALS and found to improves neuron health in animal models of Alzheimer's disease according to a new Northwestern Medicine study published in PNAS . This discovery is giving scientists hope that the drug could be effective in multiple neur...

A Northwestern Medicine clinical trial led by Rod Passman, MD, could improve the way we care for millions of people with atrial fibrillation, but it is facing an unexpected challenge. There has been a pause in federal funding to Northwestern University that could  impact  this study's progress. While the trial has not been ordered to stop, all National Institutes of Health funding to Northwestern...

Each year, more than 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack and many of those who survive are left with irreversible scarring and the slow progression towards heart failure. In this episode, Edward Thorp, PhD, explains how his team is exploring immune cells that influence the heart's ability to heal after such injuries . In Thorp's lab, they are uncovering fundamental molecular mechanisms by whic...

New evidence shows that a one-time intervention can lead to lasting improvement in the lives of young people struggling with mental health problems. In this episode, Jessica Schleider, PhD, associate professor of Medical Social Sciences, explains how she is using this approach to scale single-session interventions (SSIs) to reach more people in need of mental health services.

In this episode, Minjee Kim, MD, shares results of recent studies she has conducted to better understand the role of inadequate sleep on long-term metabolic health in pregnant women and middle-aged adults. She also discusses a new AI-based intervention that could bring a better night of sleep to those who need it. 

In this episode, Rodrigo Braga,  PhD, explains recent advances in his Human Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, using precision functional MRI technology, that is helping us better understand how the brain is  working . He details recent findings  published  in  Science Advances  that provide new understanding of  how the brain  works  during and after  social interaction s,  which could lead to new ways...

What could be the  world's smallest pacemaker was recently developed at Northwestern University and details of the device were published in the journal  Nature . This incredible innovation , about the size of a grain of rice,  from the lab of John Rogers, PhD, is designed to be an alternative to bulky, wired temporary pacemakers. In this episode ,  Rogers  discusses  how Northwestern engineers and...

A Northwestern Medicine study published in Nature Medicine, used a new technique called spatial transcriptomics to examine the brain's response to Alzheimer's therapies, revealing new molecular targets that could enhance the effectiveness of current therapies and not just slow the disease, but potentially improve patient outcomes. David Gate, PhD, assistant professor of Neurology in the Ken and Ru...

A new $11.7 million award from the National Institute of Mental Health aims to help Northwestern Medicine investigators move the dial on the youth mental health crisis by targeting early warning signs of mental health risk in toddlers, rather than waiting until diagnosable and severe conditions are present later in childhood. In this episode, Lauren Wakschlag, PhD, who is co-leading this grant, ex...

Women are living longer, healthier lives, but ovarian aging still  impacts fertility and hormone production as it always has. In this episode,  Francesca Duncan, PhD , discusses novel research into  maintaining  ovarian function, longer. This work could  someday  help prevent or slow down age-related changes to the ovaries, offering hope for better health as women age.