2008 Winter Quarter Research News and Honors
Self-Assembled Materials Form Mini Stem Cell Lab
A research team from Northwestern's Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine has created sacs and demonstrated that human stem cells will grow in them.
Saving Cancer Patients' Skin From Drugs' Disfiguring Side Effects
Mario Lacouture, M.D., launched the Cancer Skin Care Program to parry the painful skin conditions caused by cancer drugs.
Northwestern to Build Engineering Life Sciences Facility
A five-story addition to the Technological Institute will be built to house engineering life sciences programs at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Women Invited to Join New Health Registry to Advance Research
The Illinois Women's Health Registry was developed to encourage researchers to focus on women's health topics and to give women the chance to be part of university-sponsored research studies and clinical trials.
Gender Differences in Language Appear Biological
Researchers from Northwestern and the University of Haifa have found that the areas of the brain associated with language work harder in girls than in boys during language tasks, and that boys and girls rely on different parts of the brain when performing these tasks.
Smaller Classes Not Enough to Close Achievement Gap
A Northwestern study investigating the effects of class size on the achievement gap between high and low academic achievers suggests that high achievers benefit more from small classes than low achievers, especially at the kindergarten and first grade levels.
Protein in Embryonic Stem Cells Controls Malignant Tumor Cells
A protein that governs development of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) also inhibits the growth and spread of malignant melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, Northwestern researchers have discovered.
Your Brain on Krispy Kremes
New research from the Feinberg School of Medicine reveals how hunger works in the brain and the way neurons pull your strings to lunge for the sweet fried dough.
Drug for Anemic Cancer Patients Raises Risk of Death
A new study by the Feinberg School of Medicine shows that drugs used to boost cancer patients' red blood cells actually raise the risk of death.
Studying Rivers for Clues to Carbon Cycle
Aaron Packman, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in Northwestern?s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, is collaborating with ecologists and microbiologists from around the world to study how organic carbon is processed in rivers.
Special Coating Greatly Improves Solar Cell Performance
A team of Northwestern University researchers has developed a new anode coating strategy that significantly enhances the efficiency of solar energy power conversion.
Is Your Partner Happy? It May Be Hard to Know
High self-monitors ? people who are highly attuned to social situations and who most prone to moderate their behavior and the image they present to others accordingly ? are less satisfied in their romantic relationships than low self-monitors, a Northwestern study finds.
Authority on Influenza Virus is Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Robert A. Lamb, John Evans Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, who was named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007.
Childhood Asthma Varies by Neighborhood
A new study from Children?s Memorial Research Center and the Feinberg School of Medicine found that asthma prevalence in Chicago varied from nearly zero percent to 44 percent depending on the child?s neighborhood.
Teens Meet for the Oncofertility Saturday Academy
Each Saturday in February, two groups of girls from the Young Women's Leadership Charter School on Chicago's near south side meet with faculty in the Oncofertility Consortium, Teresa Woodruff's national research program designed to explore the reproductive future of cancer patients facing the possibility of fertility threatening treatment.
The Sun Also Rises in NU Energy Research Centers
Why is there talk of an energy crisis, some ask, when enough sunlight falls on the earth's surface each day to more than meet our energy needs? In fact, ten thousand times more sunlight strikes the earth at any moment than all the energy being used on the earth. At Northwestern, solar energy is the ANSER, the newly established Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research Center. ANSER combines and expands the research interests of both institutions to take on the challenges of economically viable solar energy use.
Northwestern Receives 'Methane Challenge' Grant from Dow
Northwestern has received a research grant of $3.35 million from the Dow Chemical Company over the first three years as part of the company?s 2007 Dow Methane Challenge.
Stem Cell Science Educators to Convene
Science teachers, educators, scientists, and social scientists will gather at Northwestern's Allen Center on February 22 to learn about and discuss the major issues related to teaching controversial science in general and stem cell biology in particular.
Service Excellence Commendations for 10 OR Employees
The Office for Research is pleased to announce that ten staff members received commendations at the Service Excellence Recognition Program on Thursday, January 17.
DNA is Blueprint, Contractor and Construction Worker for New Structures
Northwestern researchers report they have used DNA as the blueprint, contractor and construction worker to build a three-dimensional structure out of gold, a lifeless material.
Nanomaterials Used to Localize, Control Drug Delivery
Using nanotechnology, scientists from Northwestern and UCLA have developed a localized and controlled drug delivery method that could provide newer and more effective treatments for cancer and other diseases.
Molecule Synthesis Could Make Better Anti-Cancer Drugs
Northwestern researchers have determined the structure of neopeltolide, a natural compound derived from an uncommon deep-sea sponge, which could lead to more effective anti-cancer drugs.
Win-Win for Insurance Coverage of Preventive Care
A strategy developed by two lawyers including Associate Professor Ronen Avraham addresses a central complaint about American health insurance -- lack of coverage for preventive care -- while employing market efficiencies central to competitive health care.
Magnetic Alloy With Swiss Cheese Structure Morphs Shape
Researchers have created a foam from a nickel-manganese-gallium alloy that changes shape when exposed to a magnetic field. The new foam could translate to smaller, lighter pumps and more aerodynamic airplane wings.
Royalty Pharma Acquires a Portion of Northwestern University's Royalty Interest in Lyrica for $700 Million
Royalty Pharma and Northwestern University announced today that Northwestern has sold a portion of its worldwide royalty interest in Lyrica® to Royalty Pharma for $700 million in cash.
Overexcited Neurons Bad for Cell Health
A new study provides some of the strongest evidence that nerve cell activity can directly affect the protein folding process in another cell.
Subliminal Smells Bias Perception About a Person's Likeability
New research suggests that humans pick up infinitesimal scents that affect whether or not we like somebody.
Proposal to Encourage Work for Low-Income Americans
Greg J. Duncan, professor of education and social policy and faculty fellow at the Institute for Policy Research, will present a proposal Dec. 12 at a Hamilton Project roundtable for a national program to support the millions of low-income Americans who work full time but still live in poverty.
Cancer Center Maintains Elite Status
The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University has been awarded a $25.6 million five-year renewal of its Cancer Center Support Grant by the National Cancer Institute.
Discovery Supports Theory of Alzheimer's Disease as Form of Diabetes
Insulin, it turns out, may be as important for the mind as it is for the body. Research in the last few years has raised the possibility that Alzheimer's memory loss could be due to a novel third form of diabetes. Now scientists at Northwestern University have discovered why brain insulin signaling-crucial for memory formation-would stop working in Alzheimer's disease.
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