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Breakthroughs: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Breakthroughs is a podcast about groundbreaking research and the scientists leading these discoveries at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. We are driven by our mission to transform the practice of medicine and profoundly impact human health beyond the individual patient. We believe better answers only come from discovery.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 1 weeks ago23 min
Decoding the Immune Response in Early-Stage Bladder Cancer with Joshua Meeks, MD, PhD
Why does a standard immunotherapy work remarkably well for some bladder cancer patients, but fail for others? In this episode, Northwestern Medicine physician-scientist Joshua Meeks, MD, PhD, breaks down his recent research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation and European Urology uncovering how the tumor microenvironment and immune cellular communication influence response to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy. Find out how single-cell RNA sequencing, macrophage–T-cell interactions, and urinary tumor DNA biomarkers are paving the way for targeted, personalized bladder cancer care.
- 3 weeks ago19 min
Rewind: Decoding Metabolism and Why When You Eat Matters with Joseph Bass, MD, PhD
We are re-sharing an episode that we originally released in March 2023 about circadian rhythms and metabolism, looking at how the timing of food consumption can impact weight gain and health. Since this episode was released Dr. Bass has led several other studies looking at circadian rhythms and weight loss. Most recently, his team published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences about an experimental RNA therapy that induces the body to burn calories and preserving lean mass, thereby enhancing the benefits of GLP-1s. More on the recent study can be found here: https://news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2026/09/21/rna-therapy-may-help-preserve-muscle-during-glp-1-weight-loss/
- Sep 28, 202617 min
How Our Genes Predispose Us to Infection with Jean-Laurent Casanova, MD, PhD
Why does one person become critically ill from a virus while another person exposed to the same microbe remains completely healthy? This is the "infection enigma," and Jean-Laurent Casanova, MD, PhD, has spent his career trying to solve it. A French pediatrician and immunologist, Casanova is the winner of Northwestern University's 2026 Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science. In this episode, Casanova discusses his paradigm-shifting discoveries and what they reveal about immunity, genetic predisposition and why some people develop life-threatening infections while others do not.
- Sep 14, 202622 min
Why It's Important to Analyze Research Data by Sex with Nicole Woitowich, PhD
For decades, biomedical research relied heavily on male subjects, leaving important gaps in our understanding of how diseases and treatments affect women. In 2016, the NIH introduced a policy requiring that all eligible funding applicants consider the influence of sex in their research to better understand health and disease for all. Nearly a decade later, has research truly changed? In this episode, Nicole Woitowich, PhD, executive director of Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NUCATS), discusses her new study examining how well biomedical research is incorporating sex differences, and where science is still falling short. Read more about Woitowich's appointment as executive director of NUCATS. Check out the study published in Nature Communications Medicine. Learn more about the research from a Northwestern Now story.
- Jun 8, 202621 min
What is the Genetic Overlap Between Autism and Schizophrenia? with Peter Penzes, PhD
In this episode, Peter Penzes, PhD, director of the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, discusses a recent discovery of a schizophrenia biomarker and how this research could one day offer earlier diagnosis, more precise treatment, and better outcomes for patients. Learn more about how the field of neurodevelopmental research has evolved over the past decade with major advances in genetics, brain imaging and laboratory models. Large genomic studies have uncovered many more genes associated with risk of developing autism, schizophrenia and related conditions, while new technologies, including brain organoids grown from patients' stem cells, are giving scientists new insight into how these disorders develop and affect brain function.
- May 26, 202620 min
How a Tiny Device Could Transform Fetal Surgery with Aimen Shaaban, MD
Fetal surgery can be lifesaving for babies diagnosed with complex conditions before birth, but it comes with significant challenges, including limited ability to monitor the fetus in real time. A Northwestern Medicine team has developed a first-of-its-kind flexible probe, designed for continuous real-time fetal monitoring during surgery. This innovation is the result of a collaboration between Northwestern University bioelectronics pioneer John Rogers, PhD, and Aimen Shaaban, MD, director of the Chicago Institute for Fetal Health. In this episode, Shaaban explains how the device works, how the collaboration took place and what it will take to bring this technology out of the lab and into clinical care.
- May 11, 202616 min
Is Antimicrobial Resistance Threatening Modern Medicine? with Jennie Kwon, DO
As the new chief of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Jennie Kwon, DO, is working in a rapidly evolving field rich with opportunities for discovery and impact. Her own research focus is one of the most pressing challenges in medicine today: antimicrobial resistance. In this episode, she discusses the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance and why this crisis could fundamentally disrupt modern medicine.
- Apr 20, 202623 min
New Insights Into Dopamine with Raj Awatramani, PhD, and Daniel Dombeck, PhD
We are re-sharing this episode on dopamine and subtypes of dopaminergic neurons that may provide new insights into how we think about the role of dopamine. Rajeshwar Awatramani, PhD, and Daniel Dombeck, PhD led this research, and in this episode they explain how the results could change the field of dopamine research and pave the way for new research possibilities, especially concerning Parkinson's disease, a condition marked by a loss of dopamine neurons and motor system challenges.
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About Breakthroughs
Breakthroughs is a podcast about groundbreaking research and the scientists leading these discoveries at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. We are driven by our mission to transform the practice of medicine and profoundly impact human health beyond the individual patient. We believe better answers only come from discovery.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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