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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 ago21 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.
- 2 weeks ago20 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.
- Apr 6, 202619 min
Improving Testing and Diagnosis of Hepatitis C with Claudia Hawkins, MD, MPH
A new, rapid Hepatitis C test developed by Northwestern University scientists could change the future of Hepatitis C care by delivering faster diagnosis and treatments for a disease that is estimated to impact 50 million people around the world. The research behind this new test, which was built on the DASH (Diagnostic Analyzer for Specific Hybridization) Rapid PCR system developed at Northwestern University was published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. In this episode, Claudia Hawkins, MD, MPH, explains this study and the impact this test could have on the global effort to eliminate Hepatitis C.
- Mar 23, 202631 min
Decoding Long COVID's Impact on the Brain with Igor Koralnik, MD
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.
- Feb 23, 202623 min
Improving Imaging of the Spinal Cord with Molly Bright, DPhil
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.
- Feb 2, 202627 min
New Paths for Diagnosing and Treating Lyme Disease with Brandon Jutras, PhD
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.
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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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