Archives: Podcasts

  • COVID-19 Boosters Increase Protection with Alexis Demonbreun, PhD

    COVID-19 Boosters Increase Protection with Alexis Demonbreun, PhD

    What do we know about the effectiveness of COVID-19 boosters, and how might they better protect us from new variants such as omicron? Alexis Demonbreun, PhD, assistant professor of Pharmacology, offers insight. She is the author of a new study that shows COVID-19 boosters seem to supercharge antibody response.

  • Human Genome Project for Proteins with Neil Kelleher, PhD

    Human Genome Project for Proteins with Neil Kelleher, PhD

    Millions of molecular proteins are swimming through our body’s cells and many studies have discovered that these proteins are the main drivers of all human diseases. Scientists are now mapping proteins the way the Human Genome Project mapped genes. Neil Kelleher, PhD, director of Northwestern Proteomics, is at the forefront of the Human Proteoform Project…

  • Immunotherapy for Glioblastoma with Adam Sonabend, MD

    Immunotherapy for Glioblastoma with Adam Sonabend, MD

    Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment over the last few decades, though not for glioblastoma — the most common and deadly malignant brain tumor. However, Northwestern Medicine neurosurgeon Adam Sonabend, MD, shares promising research on the potential benefits of immunotherapy for certain glioblastoma patients.

  • Earliest Signs of Parkinson’s Disease with D. James Surmeier, PhD

    Earliest Signs of Parkinson’s Disease with D. James Surmeier, PhD

    Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered one of the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease, proving that damaged neuronal mitochondria alone can cause symptoms of the disease, according to a study published in Nature. Senior author D. James Surmeier, PhD, chair of the Feinberg department of Neuroscience, who has over 30 years of experience in the field,…

  • Variants of Interest and of Concern with Judd Hultquist, PhD

    Variants of Interest and of Concern with Judd Hultquist, PhD

    Judd Hultquist, PhD, talks about key variants of SARS-CoV-2 and how his lab is identifying and studying these variants.

  • The Evolution of Cardiac Monitoring with Rod Passman, MD

    The Evolution of Cardiac Monitoring with Rod Passman, MD

    As heart conditions like arrhythmia become increasingly common, heart monitoring is becoming an even more important tool for disease prevention and treatment. Northwestern Medicine cardiac electrophysiologist Rod Passman, MD, who has over three decades of experience in the field, reviews the history of cardiac monitoring and looks to the future. He details his pioneering use…

  • Next-Generation COVID Vaccines with Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster, PhD

    Next-Generation COVID Vaccines with Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster, PhD

    As the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is causing breakthrough infections in some vaccinated people around the world, scientists at Northwestern Medicine are developing and studying potential next-generation COVID-19 vaccines that could be more effective at preventing and clearing breakthrough infections. Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster, PhD, an assistant professor of Microbiology-Immunology at Feinberg, discusses work in his lab…

  • The Northwestern Medicine African American Transplant Access Program with Dinee Simpson, MD

    The Northwestern Medicine African American Transplant Access Program with Dinee Simpson, MD

    People who are Black make up the largest group of minorities in need of an organ transplant. In 2019, Northwestern Medicine launched the African American Transplant Access Program to help address this problem. Founding director of the program Dinee Simpson, MD, talks about the barriers to organ transplant for Black patients and how she is…

  • Advancing Muscular Dystrophy Research with Elizabeth McNally, MD, PhD

    Advancing Muscular Dystrophy Research with Elizabeth McNally, MD, PhD

    Elizabeth McNally, MD, PhD, talks about her recent discoveries advancing muscular dystrophy research.

  • Northwestern Drug Kills Glioblastoma Tumor Cells with Priya Kumthekar, MD

    Northwestern Drug Kills Glioblastoma Tumor Cells with Priya Kumthekar, MD

    An early clinical trial found that a spherical nucleic acid drug developed at Northwestern kills tumor cells in people with the fatal brain cancer glioblastoma. This is the first time a nanotherapeutic has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier and cause cell death. Lead investigator Priya Kumthekar, MD, explains the results of the study.