The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has lead to unprecedented public health efforts to manage and contain the spread of disease. Physicians, investigators, and public health experts from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine are combining their efforts, mobilizing resources, and developing tools to help save lives and prevent the spread of disease. From laboratories that are delving into the genetics and behavior of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, to the public health experts that are developing models to predict the disease’s spread, efforts to combat this unprecedented challenge are underway all across the medical school.
COVID-19
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Why COVID-19 Pneumonia Lasts Longer, Causes More Damage
Northwestern Medicine investigators have shown how COVID-19 pneumonia is different from typical cases of pneumonia, spreading across the lungs like multiple wildfires and leaving tissue damage in its wake.

Northwestern Medicine Physicians Begin to Receive COVID-19 Vaccines
Northwestern Medicine physicians have begun receiving their vaccines, an experience that for many was inspiring, sobering and hopeful. Read the reactions of a few Northwestern Medicine physicians upon receiving their COVID-19 vaccines.

New Drug Connects Dots That Cause Clots in COVID-19 Patients
A gene mutation discovered in a small Amish community in Indiana has inspired the use of a new experimental drug for COVID-19 that reduces blood clotting.

Soulakis Discusses COVID-19 Contract Tracing Efforts with IDPH
Nicholas Soulakis, PhD, assistant professor of Preventive Medicine in the Divisions of Health and Biomedical Informatics and Epidemiology, discussed lessons learned from his experience leading COVID-19 contract tracing efforts for the Illinois Department of Public Health during a recent webinar.

Staying in Contact: Health Investigators Track COVID-19 Cases
The COVID-19 contact tracing process, led by health departments across the state, and coordinated by the Illinois Department of Public Health, involves a team of dedicated team members tracking the spread of the disease.

Assessing Risk Factors in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients
Certain factors are associated with increased risk of death in critically ill COVID-19 patients, according to recent Northwestern Medicine studies.

Comforting and Monitoring 7,600 COVID-19 Patients at Home
Northwestern Medicine investigators undertook a massive, new, daily home-monitoring program of patients presumed positive for COVID-19 with the assistance of nurses, nurse practitioners, a large workforce of medical students, physicians’ assistants and daily questionnaires delivered through electronic health records.

Antibody Testing Project Receives NSF RAPID Grant
Northwestern investigators have received a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to examine the determinants of SARS-CoV-2 exposure with a minimally invasive approach to community-based serological testing.

Lung Transplant Performed on a COVID-19 Patient at Northwestern Medicine
For the first time, Northwestern Medicine surgeons performed a double-lung transplant on a patient whose lungs were irreversibly damaged by COVID-19.

Heart Disease, Racial Disparities and COVID-19
Northwestern Medicine cardiovascular experts discuss how racial disparities, including lower socioeconomic status and pre-existing cardiovascular conditions, can lead African-Americans to be at higher risk for contracting and dying from COVID-19.
Podcasts

COVID-19 Antibody Testing with Elizabeth McNally, MD, PhD
A team of Northwestern scientists have come together from across disciplines to develop a COVID-19 antibody test designed for at-home use. Elizabeth McNally, MD, PhD, is part of the team working on this test to determine prior exposure to the virus.

COVID-19 Deaths and Racial Health Disparities with Clyde Yancy, MD
Although COVID-19 doesn't necessarily discriminate, some communities are far more susceptible to the disease. People who are black or African-American are more likely to contract the virus - and to die from it. Clyde Yancy, MD, discusses reasons for these outcomes and the need to fully address health care disparities in America.

The Dangers of Unproven COVID-19 Therapies with Benjamin Singer, MD
While the world anxiously awaits a vaccine for COVID-19, some physicians on the front lines are trying new or repurposed therapies in an effort to help COVID patients. Benjamin Singer, MD, a Northwestern physician-scientist, discusses his experiences in the ICU during this time and his recently published letter warning against the use of unproven therapies.

Investigating the New Coronavirus with Karla Satchell, PhD, Part 2
This is an update to the Jan. 28, 2020 episode about Northwestern microbiologist Karla Satchell's effort to lead an investigation into the structure biology of the components of COVID-19. The goal is to ultimately understand how to stop it from replicating in human cells through a medication or vaccine.

Staying Positive During Social Isolation with Judith Moskowitz, PhD, MPH
Judith Moskowitz, PhD, MPH, is a social psychologist and professor of Medical Social Sciences at Feinberg who studies the impact of positive emotion on health-related and other life stress. She discusses her research and things you can do to increase positivity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19: Update on the Current Situation with Michael Ison, MD, MS
In this episode we share a recent Northwestern Medical Grand Rounds presentation called: "COVID-19 An Update on the Current Situation" which was given at Northwestern Medicine on March 17, 2020 by Michael Ison, MD, professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Professor of Surgery in the Division of Transplant Surgery at Northwestern.

Investigating the New Coronavirus with Karla Satchell, PhD
The outbreak of a novel Coronavirus in China is making headlines around the world. Here at Northwestern, microbiologist Karla Satchell, PhD, is leading an effort to investigate the structure biology of the components of the virus to ultimately understand how to stop it from replicating in human cells through a medication or vaccine.
Media Coverage
British officials identify coronavirus mutations, but significance remains unclear
And scientists point out that this virus doesn’t mutate very fast. Although it’s possible that vaccines would need to be modified at some point to remain as effective as they have been so far, this virus is not supernaturally elusive. “It seems hard to see that this virus is going to be able to evolve its way away from vaccine efficacy,” said Egon Ozer, an infectious-diseases expert at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.
'A story of darkness and light': As US nears 300,000 COVID-19 deaths, vaccines bring hope for better days
Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director of the Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said he expects the vaccines to become popular after an initial period of reluctance and even mistrust. “I think the rollout is going to be slower than they expect, for a couple of reasons,” Murphy said. “One, we’re talking about hundreds of millions of people. And then, you have a cold-chain issue in delivering these vaccines. It’s not going to be an easy operation. I’m not as optimistic as other people. I think it will take the whole year to vaccinate everyone, at least.”
COVID-19 vaccine: Scientists credit collaboration, prior research for speedy development
"I think the reputational risk to a company like Pfizer, if it turns out they cut corners to be the first in the market in the United States - that would be the end of Pfizer. You could never get your reputation back," said Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, with Northwestern Medicine.
COVID Questions: How Should My Family Handle a Coronavirus Christmas?
This is undoubtedly an issue on lots of people’s minds, so thank you. It’s also a complicated one, so I consulted two experts: Dr. Kelly Michelson, director of the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at Lurie Children’s Hospital, and Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunobiology at the Yale School of Medicine.
Should pregnant women get a COVID-19 vaccine? What about women considering pregnancy? Guidance is hard to find because trials exclude pregnancy.
Pregnant women are commonly excluded from research, something that has frustrated Dr. Emily Miller for years. Miller is the assistant professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Northwestern Medicine’s Feinberg School of Medicine, where she has been closely following the lack of data on pregnant women and new vaccines.
Babies with COVID-19 tend to have mild illness, study finds
"While there is limited data on infants with COVID-19 from the United States, our findings suggest that these babies mostly have mild illness and may not be at higher risk of severe disease as initially reported from China." said lead author Leena B. Mithal, pediatric infectious diseases expert from Lurie Children's Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in a statement.
Hat in hand: U.S. scientists scramble to support their COVID immunity research
In April, when a key enzyme couldn’t be delivered to his shuttered laboratory, Northwestern University researcher Thomas McDade hunted for the package across the empty campus near Chicago, finally locating it at a loading dock. To verify the test’s accuracy, the biological anthropologist and his colleague, pharmacologist Alexis Demonbreun, asked friends and family if they’d be willing to spot them some blood. McDade took a sample from his wife over their kitchen table.
Northwestern develops coronavirus antibody test using single drop of blood
Northwestern University researchers have put forth a coronavirus antibody test that they say can be completed using only a single drop of dried blood from a finger prick. he test, which is specifically designed to search for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies IgM and IgG, will help in “evaluating how effective policies such as social distancing or closing schools and restaurants are working to prevent viral transmission,” as well as eliminate the need for a clinical setting, according to the team’s lead author.
Northwestern, AbilityLab at work on COVID detection device
The technology leverages research from Northwestern inventor John Rogers, whose team previously debuted a flexible patch worn on the skin that monitors stroke patients. Meanwhile, algorithms created by AbilityLab scientists are designed to recognize different types of coughs and patterns of respiration.
Spike in U.S. deaths and cases flagged as pneumonia suggests even greater COVID-19 impact
“There is a new mental calculation: Is this test administered at the hospital worth the potential risk of being exposed to COVID-19?” said Dr. Sadiya Khan, an assistant professor at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. “Our ER, as well as many others, are seeing far fewer patients because people are scared to come in.”