Category: Scientific Advances
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Flexible DNA Transforms Protein Crystallization
Northwestern scientists have developed a DNA-driven process to induce protein crystallization that can help reveal protein structures and enable the development of new flexible biomaterials.
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Gut Bacteria Leave Intestinal ‘Memory,’ Protecting Against Inflammation
New Northwestern Medicine research published in Nature Communications suggests that a metabolite produced by gut bacteria when they digest dietary fiber can leave a lasting molecular imprint on intestinal cells, promoting immune tolerance and protecting against inflammatory bowel disease-like conditions long after exposure ends.
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Immune Receptor Plays Dual Role in Promoting T-cell Exhaustion in Cancer
A new Northwestern Medicine study has uncovered how a key immunoregulatory receptor plays an unexpected dual role in promoting T-cell exhaustion during chronic infection and cancer, according to findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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New Analytic Method Reveals ‘Building Blocks’ of Brain Activity
A new Northwestern Medicine study has introduced a novel machine learning method for understanding how the brain organizes complex behaviors, offering fresh evidence that neural activity is built from reusable “building blocks,” according to the study published in Neuron.
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Examining the Impact of Aging on Critical Cellular Processes
A new Northwestern Medicine study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has explored the impacts of aging on essential cellular processes, findings that could shape the development of future anti-aging therapeutic strategies.
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Blood Cell ‘Nurseries’ Upend Understanding of Human Physiology
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that one of the body’s most fundamental biological processes — how red blood cells are made — works differently in humans than previously thought, according to a new study published in Nature Genetics.
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Physiological Factors Reshape How Drugs and Proteins Interact
A new Northwestern Medicine study has demonstrated that proteins studied in simplified laboratory conditions don’t behave the same way in the human body, according to the study published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.
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Hormone Impacts Red Blood Cell Production in Anemia
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that the hormone FGF23 reduces the production of red blood cells and may contribute to the development of anemia of chronic kidney disease, according to a recent study published in Blood.
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Overlooked DNA Structures Help Organize the Genome
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that little-studied DNA structures play a central role in organizing the human genome and controlling gene activity, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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‘Toxic’ Molecule Plays Vital Role in Gene Regulation and Development
A molecule once thought to be a harmful metabolic byproduct may play a crucial role in early development and gene regulation, according to a new study published in Nature that challenges decades of biochemical assumptions.
