Breakthroughs

A new approach from the field of ophthalmology shows promise in detecting non-invasive biomarkers of mild cognitive impairment, the precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. Northwestern's Amani Fawzi, MD, explains.

A large, new Northwestern Medicine study reports adults who ate more eggs and dietary cholesterol had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death from any cause. Norrina Allen, associate professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, explains.

The health issues facing people with severe eczema are not only skin deep. Aside from intense itching and dry, irritable skin, people with a type of eczema known as atopic dermatitis also have significantly higher rates of medical and mental health issues. Why does atopic dermatitis come with so many other health issues and what can be done to give patients relief? Northwestern's Dr. Jonathan Silverberg explains.

Northwestern’s John A. Rogers, PhD, and Amy Paller, MD, published a study in the journal Science that shows how ultra thin, electronic sensors developed in Roger’s lab have the potential to make NICUs wireless.

The landmark Northwestern Juvenile Project, led by Linda Teplin, PhD, has produced some astonishing findings about health risks and premature deaths of delinquent youth. These findings are shaping services and programs that support juvenile detainees, giving them the help they need to live healthier lives.

There’s been an uptick in childhood food allergies in recent years, and new evidence from Northwestern shows that they’re also becoming more common in adults. Many of the reactions to these allergies are life-threatening. Why is this increase happening and how can we keep people affected by food allergy safe? Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH is trying to answer those questions.

A rare blood disorder related to people missing a protein, called PAI-1, was identified in a small Amish community. Douglas Vaughan, MD, studies the community and found that those without the protein seem to live longer and healthier lives.

Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones was named physician of the year in 2017 by the American Heart Association. Through his research and practice as a preventive cardiologist at Northwestern, Dr. Lloyd Jones is chasing a big goal – to improve and preserve the heart health of Americans, one patient at a time.

Is drinking coffee a healthy habit or a vice? Why can some people drink coffee all day with little consequence while others get jittery after a cup? Marilyn Cornelis, PhD, studies the genetics of coffee consumption, caffeine metabolism and taste preferences and has some new findings to share about one of the most popular beverages in the world.

The field of pharmacogenomics -- using a patient’s genome to predict how well they will respond to medication -- is a hot area of medicine today. But, almost all data used in these predictions comes from people of European decent. Minoli Perera, PharmD, PhD, wants to change that. She is a pioneer in the area of pharmacogenomics in African-Americans and has some new discoveries to share.