News and Breakthroughs

A Northwestern Medicine study has detailed the development of a machine learning model to predict DNA methylation status in cell-free DNA by its fragmentation patterns, according to findings published in Nature Communications.

When Kristen Young joined the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation as Executive Director in 2022, she was inspired by their dedication to advancing breakthrough gastrointestinal cancer research at the Lurie Cancer Center. Just two months later, Kristen was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer at the age of 37.

A model can accurately predict the risk of bloodstream infections in a subset of children with cancer, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Northwestern Medicine investigators led by Amy Heimberger, MD, PhD, have discovered a new mechanism in which cancer-associated fibroblasts are associated with tumor grade and mediate immune suppression in glioma tumors.

Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified new genes implicated in the development of uterine fibroids, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

The Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation is convening cancer research leaders in a never-been-done-before collaboration that will make clinical trials more accessible to Chicago-area breast cancer patients. The initiative — called the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium — comprised of Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University at Northwestern Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine, and RUSH University for Health — is the first-of-its-kind in Chicago and is funded by a $1.8 million donation from the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation.

Specific immunosuppressants and immunotherapy are not enough to prevent organ rejection in patients undergoing skin cancer treatment who have also received a kidney transplant, according to a clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered the Achilles heel of chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer — its hunger for cholesterol — and how to sneakily use that to destroy it.

Increased expression of specific genes in prostate cancer patients may predict whether or not the cancer will respond well to hormone therapy, according to a new study published in Nature Communications.

In findings published in Nature, scientists may have found a way around the limitations of engineered T-cells by borrowing a few tricks from cancer itself.

A lack of cancer progression could be used as a surrogate for overall survival in newly metastatic prostate cancer clinical trials, according to a new meta-analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

A multidisciplinary team of investigators has developed a first-of-its-kind interactive 3D spatial approach that reveals new therapeutic targets and provides a comprehensive three-dimensional view of glioblastoma tumors, detailed in a recent study published in Cell.

On Monday, January 15, we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Northwestern community will celebrate Dr. King with an expanded special commemoration including events and projects throughout the month.

Northwestern Medicine investigators have discovered that specialized immune cells within the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment use a unique “feeding” mechanism that promotes tumor growth and treatment resistance, according to findings published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Decreased activity of a specific signaling pathway in the brain vessels of aging mice and humans was linked to a decline in vascular function and subsequent neurodegeneration, according to a recent Northwestern Medicine study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.