Basic science research is the foundation for creative solutions with big impact. By SEAN HARGADON AND BEN SCHAMISSO
It often starts with an unexpected discovery — a lab experiment sparks an idea to try something new or a promising finding bubbles to the surface after years of research analysis. Tiny moments of inspiration lead to life-changing treatments and scientific advancements. Interdisciplinary teams of Northwestern scholars are working tirelessly every day on the foundational science that could help us live longer and healthier lives in a cleaner, more sustainable world. They ask big questions, follow their instincts and analyze data to solve tough problems and turn bold ideas into real solutions.
The work that happens here makes a difference — for today and tomorrow. Here’s a snapshot of a few of the innovative, critically important federally funded research projects happening at Northwestern right now.
GRANT AWARD
Source: Department of the Army
Hearing loss caused by exposure to loud noises affects up to a quarter of U.S. adults under 70. Despite its prevalence in both military and civilian populations, noise-induced hearing loss currently has no approved clinical treatment.
Feinberg School of Medicine professor Jeffrey Savas studies aging and neurodegenerative diseases. His findings revealed that loud noises trigger an abnormal accumulation of proteins in the cochlea, the inner ear’s hearing center, leading to permanent hearing loss. Savas and his team identified a promising compound that boosts the cochlea’s ability to withstand sound-related stress. In preclinical trials, the compound prevented noise-induced hearing loss in mice, a groundbreaking result with high translational potential for use in humans. The work of Savas’ team could lead to new therapies that protect hearing before damage occurs.
Savas, an associate professor of neurology, pharmacology and medicine whose work has been funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), is advancing this therapeutic discovery toward clinical application.
“Hearing loss and tinnitus — the perception of sound when no external source is present — are some of the most common service-connected disabilities among U.S. veterans, impairing their ability to perform in active duty, reintegrate into civilian life and maintain quality social and cognitive functioning,” says Savas. “Numerous studies have shown that untreated hearing loss increases the risk of social isolation, depression, cognitive decline and dementia — including Alzheimer’s disease. These risks are compounded by other challenges associated with military service.”
Continued support for this research is critical to “efforts to protect and restore the auditory health of those who have served to protect our freedom,” Savas says. — S.H.
GRANT AWARD
Source: Department of the Army
Up to 90% of the 1 million Americans with Parkinson’s disease experience fragmented sleep, insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness. The causes of these sleep problems are not well understood, making it hard to develop effective treatments, and some current Parkinson’s treatments can make sleep issues worse.
Professor Fred Turek, an expert on sleep and circadian rhythms, is investigating whether sleep problems might begin even before the onset of motor and cognitive symptoms in people with Parkinson’s. He and D. James Surmeier, chair of the Department of Neuroscience and the Nathan Smith Davis Professor of Neuroscience in Feinberg, suspect dopamine may be an important factor.
In an animal model, the research team found that sleep disturbances predated the onset of other Parkinsonian symptoms. A better understanding of the relationship between Parkinson’s and sleep could lead to earlier diagnoses and better treatment outcomes.
Ideally, “if an individual is having sleep-wake problems, their physician [might] order diagnostic tests for motor function or cognitive function” to understand their risk of developing Parkinson’s, says Turek, the Charles and Emma Morrison Professor of Neurobiology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. The team’s work has been funded by a grant from the DOD.
Turek, who has taught at Northwestern for five decades, also runs a National Institutes of Health institutional training grant program for predoctoral and postdoctoral students who are interested in circadian rhythms and the impact that disrupted sleep has on physical and mental health.
Turek says he is proud to be part of the post–World War II “golden era” of university-led research, a time when the federal government invested heavily in basic science. He hopes that era is not coming to an end. — S.H.
GRANT AWARD
Source: Department of the Army
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, attacks motor neurons in the brain and nerve cells in the spinal cord. There is no cure, and life expectancy is typically three to five years from the onset of symptoms.
Most cases of ALS are sporadic, meaning at random, but 10% of all cases are familial or genetic. The most common genetic form of ALS is due to a gene mutation that can lead to the production of highly toxic proteins that target neurons.
To help neutralize this damage, cell and molecular biologist Robert Kalb and his team are working to reduce the harmful effects of two proteins. This research, funded by a grant from the DOD, could lead to new treatments for ALS and other neurological diseases.
Kalb, director of Feinberg’s Les Turner ALS Center and the Joan and Paul Rubschlager Professor, knows that at least one of the proteins could be targeted by an RNA-based therapeutic that has proven effective against other neurodegenerative diseases.
“We [think] this [has] legs,” he says. “You never know how effective something is going to be, but there [is] a clear path forward for the pharmaceutical industry.”
In research, “nobody knows how important their observations will be in the grand scheme of things,” Kalb adds. “And that’s part of the mission — that you devote your heart and soul to research and hope that you discover something impactful.
“But in the absence of stability and predictability, it’s very hard to move the rock up the hill.” — S.H.
GRANT AWARD
Source: Office of Naval Research
Teri Odom’s research group is exploring new ways to improve the speed, energy efficiency and cost of communications by focusing on new types of information carriers called polaritons, units that are made partly of light and partly of matter.
“These new hybrid carriers can facilitate more efficient communication over longer distances while consuming less power,” explains Odom, the Joan Husting Madden and William H. Madden Jr. Professor of Chemistry in Weinberg College and professor of materials science and engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering.
These light-matter hybrids are remarkably sensitive and can be fine-tuned to carry information in unique ways. Until now, such control typically required extremely cold environments, but Odom has discovered how to manipulate polaritons under everyday conditions, opening the door for ultra-fast, hard-to-intercept communications and improved encryption methods.
“This research is critical given our society’s increased reliance on digital technology,” says Odom.
Funded by a grant from the DOD, this cutting-edge research may impact future consumer tech, national defense and intelligence, and public safety. It could also lead to the creation of highly sensitive detection tools for chemical, biological or environmental threats.
“This project requires the expertise and integration of several different disciplines — chemistry, physics, optics,” she says. “This interdisciplinary approach … is a hallmark of Northwestern — [a] unique way to solve complex problems [and train] the next generation of scientists and engineers.” — S.H.
GRANT AWARD
Source: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Atrial fibrillation (A-fib), the most common type of heart rhythm disorder, affects more than 5 million people in the U.S. — a number that is expected to more than double by 2030, according to the American Heart Association. The condition greatly increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, dementia and premature death.
Northwestern cardiologist Rod Passman, director of the Feinberg School of Medicine’s Center for Arrhythmia Research, is leading a clinical trial using customized Apple Watches to continuously monitor the heart rhythms of people with A-fib. Passman is the Jules J. Reingold Professor of Electrophysiology in the medical school.
If successful, he says, the trial would be a medical breakthrough.
Currently, patients with A-fib take daily blood thinners on a continuous basis. These medications can be expensive, and while they help prevent strokes, they also increase the risk of excessive bleeding and other complications. In the Northwestern-led study, patients wear Apple Watches that have been customized for the trial with an algorithm that monitors their heart rhythms and prompts them to take medication only when an A-fib episode strikes. This personalized approach could save lives, lower health care costs and improve quality of life for millions.
Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the clinical study is three years into its planned seven-year run and has enrolled 2,000 patients at 85 sites nationwide.
“It took about 15 years of research for me and my team to get to this point,” Passman says. “If this trial doesn’t continue, it could be another lifetime before someone addresses this again — and countless patients could lose the chance for safer and better care.” — B.S.
GRANT AWARD
Source: National Cancer Institute
Drug companies tend to focus on developing medications for cancers that affect large patient populations, because there are more potential users for those drugs. That leaves gaps in treatment research for rare cancers, such as carcinoid tumors, low-grade ovarian cancers and certain lymphomas or leukemias.
Northwestern oncologist Daniela Matei is working to fill that gap. She leads a $5 million National Cancer Institute grant that supports more than 60 clinical trials at Northwestern and partner institutions.
The clinical studies address common cancers, such as colon, lung and pancreatic cancer and melanoma — but they also focus on rare cancers, which often lack treatments when initial options fail.
“For patients with rare cancers, treatment A may not work — and there may be no treatment B,” Matei says. “These National Institutes of Health–sponsored trials give them that chance.”
Matei is the Diana, Princess of Wales Professor of Cancer Research in Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
One exciting effort supported by this grant is a group of trials that match patients to treatments based on genetic mutations in their tumors, rather than their cancer’s type. For example, a mutation common in melanoma might appear in only a small number of ovarian cancer cases. Instead of requiring a separate ovarian cancer trial that might not recruit enough participants, these trials pool all patients with the mutation and give them access to the same targeted treatment regardless of their cancer type.
“These trials open new doors for patients who otherwise wouldn’t have options because of their cancer’s rarity,” Matei says. “For many, it’s a lifeline.” — B.S.
Sean Hargadon is editor in chief of Northwestern Magazine.
Ben Schamisso ’12 MS is health sciences editor in the Office of Global Marketing and Communications.
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