News and Announcements

Geoffrey Swanson, PhD, professor of Pharmacology, has been named the new vice chair of Pharmacology, effective September 1. In this new role, Swanson will be responsible for overseeing faculty development among early and mid-career faculty members and will contribute to the strategic direction of graduate student and postdoctoral fellow training. Swanson will also lead the departmental promotions and tenure committee while actively contributing to the department’s strategic planning efforts.

More cases of children born with abnormal brain development may have genetic explanations than previously thought, according to a recent study published in JAMA Neurology.

Reduced expression of specific calcium channels impaired electrical signaling between neurons and contributed to the onset of behaviors associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and seizure susceptibility in mouse models, according to a Northwestern Medicine study.

Northwestern Medicine investigators have discovered novel features of circulating tumor stem cells that can promote chemotherapy evasion and metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer, according to a recent study.

Investigators led by Barbara Stranger, PhD, associate professor of Pharmacology, developed a guide outlining best practices for studying and testing sex-dependent genetic effects in complex traits and diseases, published in the journal Cell.

Northwestern Medicine investigators have identified new genetic variations effecting gene expression in the liver cells of patients of African descent, findings that provide insight into how drugs are metabolized differently in different populations.

Northwestern University professors Luisa Iruela-Arispe, PhD, Murali Prakriya, PhD, Linda A. Teplin, PhD and Teri W. Odom, PhD, have been selected as 2022 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the largest general scientific society in the world.

Scientists have identified new genes linked to heart failure, according to a study published in Nature Communications. 

Daniel Martin Watterson, PhD, the John G. Searle Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Professor of Pharmacology, has been named a 2022 fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. 

Using machine learning, Northwestern scientists have demonstrated that the protein membrane CD81 interacts with CD44 in promoting tumor cell cluster formation and lung metastasis of triple negative breast cancer.

An immune system kinase promotes tumor inflammation and progression, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

An enzymatic modifier of messenger RNA has different functions depending on its location, according to a recent study.

Higher doses of anti-seizure medications may be necessary during pregnancy, according to a recent study.

Sequencing known cardiac arrythmia genes in more than 20,000 people without an indication for genetic testing identified pathogenic variants in nearly one percent of individuals.