Category: Disease Discoveries
-
Fatty Acid Length Predicts Parkinson’s Disease Risk
Long chains of fatty acids in the lysosome are associated with a degenerative form of Gaucher disease, an inherited condition related to Parkinson’s disease.
-
ALS Therapy Should Target Brain, Not Just Spine
A new study has shown that the degeneration of brain motor neurons in ALS is not merely a byproduct of the spinal motor neuron degeneration, and is a target for future treatments for the disease.
-
Northwestern Scientists Investigate COVID-19 Vaccines, Tests and Disparities
Northwestern Medicine scientists continue to tackle every facet of the COVID-19 pandemic, from investigating coronavirus vaccines’ potential for providing immunity against similar coronaviruses to developing novel rapid antigen-based tests and examining disparities in COVID-19 case and mortality rates in Chicago.
-
Combination Therapy Reduces Toxic Aggregates in Parkinson’s Disease
A combination of drugs could fix the broken lysosomal enzyme pathway in Parkinson’s disease-afflicted neurons, according to a recent study.
-
Respiratory Virus Reprograms Airway Epithelial Cells
Respiratory syncytial virus infection during infancy results in metabolic reprogramming in epithelial cells lining the airway, according to a recent study.
-
How Herpes Checks Into the Nervous System for Life
A new Northwestern Medicine study has uncovered herpes’ sneaky strategy for infecting the nervous system, opening a path to long-needed vaccine development for the virus.
-
‘Dancing Molecules’ Successfully Repair Severe Spinal Cord Injuries
A new injectable therapy harnesses “dancing molecules” to reverse paralysis and repair tissue after severe spinal cord injuries, allowing animal subjects to regain the ability to walk.
-
Study Shows Epigenetic Modification is Central for Tumor Metastasis
Fatty acid uptake produces an epigenetic modification that is required for cancer metastasis, according to a study published in Nature.
-
New Insights into the Mechanism of ALS
The damaging effects of toxic proteins created in one inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are mediated by an enzyme called SPOP.
-
Gene Therapy Boosts Parkinson’s Disease Drug Benefits
A new Northwestern Medicine study published in Nature explains why dopamine neurons are lost in Parkinson’s disease, and demonstrated that a gene therapy targeting the brain’s substantia nigra can substantially boost the benefits of levodopa, an important medication for treating the disease.
