Category: Disease Discoveries
-
New Clues Found in Cause of Early Lung Transplant Failure
A team of scientists has uncovered the precise cells that flow into and harm the lung soon after a transplant. The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, may lead to drug therapies that target the destructive cells.
-
Investigating Family Genetics of Severe Epilepsy
A team of scientists has discovered that in children with epilepsy thought to be caused by a spontaneous mutation, about 10 percent of parents in fact carry the same variant in a small proportion of their own cells.
-
Early Synaptic Dysfunction Found in Parkinson’s Disease
Genetic mutations dysregulating synapse function contribute to a toxic cascade that leads to neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease, according to a Northwestern Medicine study.
-
Genetic Mutation Linked to Viral Brain Infections
Mutations in a gene called DBR1 may increase patients’ susceptibility to brain infection, according to a study published in Cell.
-
Enzyme Blocker Stops Growth of Deadly Brain Tumor
Scientists discovered the regulatory role of the enzyme CDK5 in an aggressive form of brain cancer and successfully halted tumor growth by inhibiting it.
-
Drug May Reverse Imbalance Linked to Autism Symptoms
Northwestern scientists restored chemical balance to certain brain cells in mouse models, reversing mechanisms that may be responsible for sensory hypersensitivity in patients with autism.
-
Molecule May Be Key to Pain Relief in Diabetic Neuropathy
Blocking a specific protein may reduce pain and reverse nerve degeneration caused by painful diabetic neuropathy, according to a recent study.
-
Women at Greater Risk of Stress-induced Ischemia After Heart Attacks
Women who’ve previously experienced a heart attack are twice as likely to develop mental stress-induced ischemia compared to men with a similar history, according to a recent study.
-
Findings Provide New Insight into Widespread Virus Behind Birth Defects
A new study advances the understanding of how human cytomegalovirus replicates within cells and also reveals potential treatment targets for the common virus.
-
When Kids’ Autistic Brains Can’t Calm Down
A new Northwestern Medicine study shows how a breakdown in the development of inhibitory neurons helps explain autism’s link to epilepsy.
