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Epilepsy Gene Implicated in Severe Migraine Disorder
Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified mutations in a gene coding for key ion channels in the brain as a new cause of a debilitating form of migraine, according to a study published in Brain.
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Feinberg Faculty Inducted into Prominent Honor Societies
Five Feinberg faculty members have been inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the Association of American Physicians (AAP), two of the oldest medical honor societies in the U.S.
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Understanding Cancer’s Hidden Vulnerabilities
Northwestern Medicine scientists have uncovered an unexpected role for a well-known cancer-related protein, revealing a new layer of genetic regulation that could reshape how certain cancers are treated.
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New Drug Doubles One-Year Survival in Pancreatic Cancer Trial
Patients who received an experimental drug developed at Northwestern University alongside standard chemotherapy were twice as likely to be alive after one year of treatment, compared to those receiving chemotherapy alone.
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Targeting Novel Long Non-Coding RNA May Improve Glioblastoma Treatment
Scientists have discovered that increased expression of a novel long non-coding RNA drives glioblastoma cell growth alongside a genetic amplification found in more than half of glioblastoma tumors, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in Nature Cell Biology.
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NU Docs Program Provides Aspiring Physicians a Pathway to Medicine
Northwestern undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in medicine and the life sciences recently participated in the spring break intensive portion of the NU Docs program, an immersive experience designed to provide students with hands-on exposure to different healthcare settings.
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Long Non-Coding RNA May be a Promising Therapeutic Target for Cancer
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that a specific long non-coding RNA activates oncogenic signaling pathways in prostate cancer cells and drives tumor progression, underscoring its potential as a therapeutic target, according to a recent study published in Nature Communications.
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Experimental Drug Lowers Parkinson’s-Linked Protein in Early Trial
An experimental drug designed to silence a gene strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease has shown encouraging effects in a first-in-human clinical trial, according to a study published in Nature Medicine.
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Overlooked Cells Linked to Poor Outcomes in Breast Cancer
A little-studied group of cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream may play a bigger role in breast cancer progression than previously thought, according to new research published in Science Translational Medicine that sheds light on how the disease spreads and why some patients fare worse than others.
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Transcription Factors Form Continuous ‘Circuit’ That Regulates T-cell Exhaustion
Scientists have discovered how two transcription factors form a reciprocal regulatory circuit that controls T-cell exhaustion and migration during viral infection, which may inform future therapeutic strategies for managing infections and cancer, according to a recent Northwestern Medicine study.
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Policy Intervention Linked to Increase in Kidney Transplants in Black Patients
A national policy intervention implemented to address transplant inequities caused by race-based kidney function equations was associated with an increase in organ transplant rates among Black patients, according to a recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Uncovering a Genetic Driver of Rare Early-Onset Dementia
A global team of scientists has uncovered a new genetic risk factor for a rare and aggressive form of early-onset dementia, according to a study published in Nature Genetics.
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Uncovering Cellular Drivers of Increased Brain Signal Activity
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered new insights into how high gamma activity, a widely studied brain signal, is generated, findings that can impact how past and future neurological studies using this signal are interpreted, according to a recent study published in Nature.
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Imagination is More Than Sensory Replay
A new Northwestern University study suggests that higher‑level brain systems that interpret and organize perception may play a central role in imagination in addition to sensory systems.
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Study Identifies New Molecular Mechanisms Supporting Cell Adhesion
Scientists led by Sergey Troyanovsky, PhD, professor of Dermatology and of Cell and Developmental Biology, have uncovered new intracellular mechanisms promoting cell-cell adhesion, a process disrupted in a variety of skin and inflammatory diseases, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Cell Biology.
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Light Impacts How the Brain Perceives and Remembers Threats
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that light plays a key role in how animals perceive environmental threats, findings that could improve the understanding of risk avoidance behaviors and disorders in humans, according to a recent study published in Nature Communications.
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Understanding Mechanisms of Rare Inflammatory Autoantibodies
Northwestern Medicine investigators have uncovered a missing link behind the harmful effects of autoantibodies linked to blood clots, pregnancy complications and other inflammatory conditions, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Simulation Training Dramatically Improves Colonoscopy Clinical Skills
A new Northwestern Medicine study suggests that a structured simulation‑based training program can significantly improve how gastroenterologists remove precancerous colon polyps, according to findings published in Gastroenterology.
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Fructose Uptake in Immune Cells Promotes Glioblastoma Growth
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that specialized immune cells within the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment metabolize fructose to suppress immune responses and promote tumor growth, according to a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Bariatric Surgery in Adolescents ‘Reprograms’ Kidney Biology to Promote Recovery
Scientists have discovered novel molecular mechanisms that contribute to recovery from diabetic kidney following bariatric surgery in adolescents with type 2 diabetes and obesity, mechanisms that may serve as potential targets for non-surgical treatments for diabetic kidney disease, according to a multi-institutional study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.