Breakthroughs

Our understanding of how viral infections can affect the brain has changed dramatically in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic and research into long COVID has accelerated some of this new knowledge. Igor Koralnik, MD, chief of Neuro-Infectious Diseases and Global Neurology in the Department of Neurology at Feinberg has studied the long-term neurological effects of COVID-19 and developed tools to support patient recovery. In this episode, Koralnik shares the latest research on long COVID and talks about recent findings from his lab identifying a common virus in the brains of some patients with Parkinson's disease that may influence how Parkinson's develops.

A novel functional MRI (fMRI) technique has been developed by Northwestern Medicine investigators to more accurately assess blood flow in the spinal cord. In this episode, Molly Bright, DPhil, explains how his noninvasive method could one day help clinicians detect early signs of neurological disease or injury, monitor recovery and guide treatment decisions for patients with spinal cord conditions.

Lyme disease, the bacterial infection transmitted by ticks, is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, with nearly half a million people diagnosed and treated each year, according to the CDC. Two pivotal studies on Lyme disease from the lab of Brandon Jutras, PhD, provide important insights into what may cause persistent Lyme disease symptoms in a subset of patients. This research points to some promising new directions for both diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.

The tiniest parts of the cell may provide new insights into challenging neurodegenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). New research from Northwestern University has revealed a key mechanism underlying the development of motor neuron diseases, such as ALS, offering new insights into potential treatment options. This new finding published in the Journal of Neuroscience, comes from the lab of Vladimir Gelfand, PhD, and may help inform the treatment of ALS and other motor neuron diseases.

One of the many ways the Human Longevity Laboratory at Feinberg is studying aging is through the lens of the retina. Manjot Gill, MD, a Northwestern Medicine retina specialist, explains the unique multi-disciplinary approach of the lab and how she is using AI in retinal imaging to predict biological age and help validate interventions that may slow aging. She is vice chair of clinical performance in the Department of Ophthalmology and Professor of Ophthalmology and Medical Education.

Brian Garibaldi, MD, the founding director of Northwestern Medicine's new Center for Bedside Medicine, discusses the importance and future of bedside medicine. A renowned pulmonologist and medical educator, Garibaldi addresses how modern technology can integrate with traditional clinical skills to improve diagnosis, deepen patient relationships and reduce physician burnout. He also explains how the new center aims to train the next generation of physicians to understand and embrace the power of the physical examination and the doctor-patient relationship.

Sachin Patel, MD, PhD, is the chair and Lizzie Gilman Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Feinberg and diretor of the Stephen M. Stahl Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience. In this episode, he talks about the current mental health crisis in this country, his research and vision for the department. Since this episode was originally released, Patel has published findings in the journal, Cell Reports, which uncovered new insights into the synaptic connections of subgroups of interneurons. These findings may improve the understanding of fear responses and could inform new targeted therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Viral pneumonia can cause severe lung damage and make recovery long and life-threatening for patients. Current treatments only provide support, not repair, but Northwestern Medicine scientist Benjamin Singer, MD, wants to change that. In this episode, he details a recent discovery from his team that found laboratory-modified T-cells or induced regulatory T-cells (iTregs), can promote lung tissue repair in mice with severe influenza pneumonia. Singer discusses this breakthrough and how it could lead to an effective cellular therapy for patients with severe viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome in the future.

We're resharing an episode from October 2022. How are habits – both good and bad – formed in the brain, and what role do habits play in diseases of the brain? These are some of the questions neuroscientist, Talia Lerner, PhD, is investigating in her lab. Her recent study, published in Cell Reports, may change the overall understanding of how habits are formed and could be broken. Since this episode was first recorded in fall 2022, Lerner's team has published new research looking at sex differences. In a paper in Neuropsychopharmacology, her team discovered how novel sex-specific mechanisms control how stress hormones impact dopamine transmission and motivation.

Uniting scientists and harnessing the power of the immune system to fight disease is at the heart of the Center for Human Immunobiology (CHI). Stephanie Eisenbarth, MD, PhD, leads the center, and she is also the chief of Allergy and Immunology in the Department of Medicine. Since this episode was first recorded in fall 2022, Eisenbarth's team has launched a clinical trial to study a new treatment for food allergy. She has also brought together more than 150 trainees and faculty through the CHI. Here, she discusses the variety of immunology research taking place within the center and the continued work to discover and translate innovative science into cures for immune-related diseases.

An experimental drug called NU-9 was invented at Northwestern University by Richard Silverman, PhD. It has been approved for clinical trials for the treatment of ALS and found to improves neuron health in animal models of Alzheimer's disease according to a new Northwestern Medicine study published in PNAS. This discovery is giving scientists hope that the drug could be effective in multiple neurodegenerative diseases by addressing the underlying mechanisms of these diseases. Silverman and Northwestern University Alzheimer disease expert, William Klein, PhD, discuss the potential of NU-9 in this episode.

A Northwestern Medicine clinical trial led by Rod Passman, MD, could improve the way we care for millions of people with atrial fibrillation, but it is facing an unexpected challenge. There has been a pause in federal funding to Northwestern University that could impact this study's progress. While the trial has not been ordered to stop, all National Institutes of Health funding to Northwestern University has been frozen, raising questions about how long this potential life-saving work can go on without a resolution.

Each year, more than 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack and many of those who survive are left with irreversible scarring and the slow progression towards heart failure. In this episode, Edward Thorp, PhD, explains how his team is exploring immune cells that influence the heart's ability to heal after such injuries. In Thorp's lab, they are uncovering fundamental molecular mechanisms by which the immune system regulates wound repair, reduces inflammation and regenerates tissue.

New evidence shows that a one-time intervention can lead to lasting improvement in the lives of young people struggling with mental health problems. In this episode, Jessica Schleider, PhD, associate professor of Medical Social Sciences, explains how she is using this approach to scale single-session interventions (SSIs) to reach more people in need of mental health services.

In this episode, Minjee Kim, MD, shares results of recent studies she has conducted to better understand the role of inadequate sleep on long-term metabolic health in pregnant women and middle-aged adults. She also discusses a new AI-based intervention that could bring a better night of sleep to those who need it.

In this episode, Rodrigo Braga, PhD, explains recent advances in his Human Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, using precision functional MRI technology, that is helping us better understand how the brain is working. He details recent findings published in Science Advances that provide new understanding of how the brain works during and after social interactions, which could lead to new ways to treat anxiety and depression.

What could be the world's smallest pacemaker was recently developed at Northwestern University and details of the device were published in the journal Nature. This incredible innovation, about the size of a grain of rice, from the lab of John Rogers, PhD, is designed to be an alternative to bulky, wired temporary pacemakers. In this episode, Rogers discusses how Northwestern engineers and Feinberg investigators came together to develop this innovative solution to meet a need for patients.