Recent News

In Memoriam (Melvyn Bayly Jr.) Melvyn A. Bayly Jr., MD ’71, emeritus associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the Feinberg School, died October 31 of cancer. He was 60. A faculty member since 1978, Dr. Bayly received emeritus status shortly before he passed away. Dr. Bayly spent his career at his alma mater[…]

November 8, 2005 Researchers Discover New Form of Cancer Gene RegulationCHICAGO—The Quaking gene, first described as a mutation in mice that causes rapid tremor, is thought to suppress tumor formation and protect humans from cancer. Now, a team of researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin has shown that the Quaking gene likely[…]

Estrogen Alters Brain ‘Wiring’ EVANSTON, Ill.—Researchers at Northwestern University and Columbia University have found that “wiring” in female rat brain memory area expands and retracts in relation to the amount of estrogen present during the estrous/menstrual cycle. A study describing this research was presented November 14 by Northwestern’s Aryeh Routtenberg, PhD, professor of psychology and[…]

In Memoriam (Stanley Huff) Dermatologist Stanley E. Huff, MD ’44, professor emeritus of dermatology, died October 29 of renal disease in Hospice of the North Shore, Skokie, Illinois. He was 87. Dr. Huff joined the faculty in 1949 and was granted emeritus status in 1987. A long-time private practitioner in Evanston, he routinely volunteered his[…]

November 7, 2005 Contact: Megan Fellman at (847) 491-3115 or atfellman@northwestern.edu ITEC Makes Award to RND PharmaceuticalsEVANSTON, Ill.—The Illinois Technology Enterprise Center (ITEC)–Evanston at Northwestern University has invested $25,000 in RND Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company located in Palatine. RND is dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of proprietary small molecule therapeutics[…]

Alumnus Details American Red Cross Katrina Effort Every day American Red Cross volunteers freely give their time and effort to carrying out the commitment of the nonprofit organization: the alleviation of human suffering. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August, the destructive strength of this storm tested the fortitude of victims and relief[…]

Mechanism Found That Promotes Melanoma Spread CHICAGO—Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered a key signaling mechanism that may promote the ability of highly aggressive malignant melanoma cells to metastasize, or spread from a primary tumor to distant sites within the body. Results of their study, published in the November issue of Cancer Research, suggest that[…]

Primrose Oil Component Cuts Levels of Cancer Gene CHICAGO—Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a substance in evening primrose oil and several other plant oils used in herbal medicine, inhibits action of Her-2/neu, a cancer gene that is responsible for almost 30 percent of all breast cancers, Northwestern University researchers report. “Breast cancer patients with Her-2/neu-positive tumors have[…]

November 7, 2005 Searle Family Commits $10M to Recruit Biomedical ResearchersCHICAGO—Northwestern University has received a $5 million grant from the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust to support recruitment of outstanding biomedical faculty at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. The Searle family anticipates that this award will be followed by successive grants to[…]

November 21, 2005 Stem Cell Microenvironment Reverses Malignant MelanomaCHICAGO—Northwestern University researchers have demonstrated how the microenvironments of two human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines (federally approved) induced metastatic melanoma cells to revert to a normal, skin cell-like type with the ability to form colonies similar to hESCs. The researchers also showed that these melanoma cells[…]

November 21,2005 Viagra® Improves Urinary Tract SymptomsCHICAGO—Viagra® (sildenafil citrate), known for improving erectile dysfunction (ED), also effectively treats the prostate and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with prostate enlargement that often occur with ED, a Northwestern University study has found. Kevin T. McVary, MD, professor of urology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine,[…]

October 11, 2005 Scientists Uncover Target for Colorectal Cancer CHICAGO—A common, inherited gene that predisposes one in eight people to development of certain forms of cancer is found in 50 percent of metastatic liver tumors from colorectal cancer, a Northwestern University study has found. The majority of liver metastases that carry the gene, TGFBR1*6A, acquire[…]

October 25, 2005 Depression Raises Disability RiskCHICAGO—Depressed middle-aged adults are at four times greater risk for being unable to perform everyday tasks than their non-depressed peers, a Northwestern University study found. “Among pre-retirement adults, limitations in life activities are strong determinants of job loss and the ability to find employment and jeopardize an individual’s ability[…]

Recent Grants The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute awarded $125,743 to Hossein Ardehali, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, to investigate functional characterization of mABC1 protein. The National Institute of Child Health and Disease and National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDKD) awarded $207,500 to Michael Caplan, MD, professor of pediatrics, to[…]

October 4, 2005 Health Literacy Linked to Poor Health CHICAGO—Elderly individuals with poor health literacy have more physical and mental health problems than those with adequate health literacy, according to a study published in the September 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. The study, led by Michael S. Wolf, PhD, MPH, of Northwestern University’s[…]

October 18, 2005 Few Mentally Ill Juvenile Detainees Get Treatment CHICAGO—More than 130,000 juveniles are held in juvenile facilities on a given day. More than one in six of them have a major mental disorder. Most do not receive treatment, a Northwestern University study has found. The study of nearly 2,000 juvenile detainees aged 10[…]

McKinlock Campus Poster Now Hangs in Galter Library When Al Cubbage, vice president for University Relations at Northwestern University, noticed the colorful poster in a downtown Chicago gallery, he knew right away that it should hang somewhere on the University’s Chicago campus. Cubbage made arrangements to acquire the poster, and James Shedlock, director of the[…]

Russell Robertson Appointed Family Medicine Chair Russell G. Robertson, MD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, effective October 10. He had been associate professor of family and community medicine and associate dean for faculty affairs at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. A[…]

October 11, 2005 Northwestern Is Center for Stem Cell Research CHICAGO—Northwestern University has been awarded a $3.6 million grant and named a Center of Excellence in Translational Human Stem Cell Research by the National Institutes of Health. Northwestern University was one of two institutions to receive the prestigious NIH Center of Excellence grant. The two[…]