From heart tissue repair to retinal cell development, scientific images helped bring to life the discoveries published by Feinberg faculty, trainees and students in 2017. Below is a selection of some of the most striking images of the year:

Exploring the Genetics of Glaucoma and Retinal Development

Recent advances in 3-D stem cell cultures have facilitated the use of lab models that closely mimic actual tissue development, allowing scientists to better understand the molecular and morphogenetic processes underlying organ development. This study looked at the neuroretina, a collection of eye cells that help convert light into neural signals.

Using these tools, Guillermo Oliver, PhD, the Thomas D. Spies Professor of Lymphatic Metabolism, and his laboratory identified a gene — Rspondin-2 — as a critical player in mammalian neuroretina differentiation.

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HIV Infection Hijacks Intracellular Highways

A Northwestern Medicine study found the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) uses proteins called diaphanous-related formins (DRFs) to hijack the cytoskeleton of healthy cells, findings that deepen the understanding of HIV infection and present a potential therapeutic target.

The paper was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America and the lead author was Michael Delaney, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of senior author Mojgan Naghavi, PhD, associate professor of Microbiology-Immunology.

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Root of Cardiac Fibrosis Defined

Northwestern Medicine scientists identified a novel molecular mechanism that regulates scar formation in the heart, a common manifestation of aging and nearly every form of heart disease. The discovery was published in the journal Circulation.

The scientists showed that heart muscle cells called cardiomyocytes are a principal source of the molecular signals that drive scarring in the heart, a process known as cardiac fibrosis.

“Historically, these signals were thought to arise from other cell types in the heart,” explained Panagiotis (Peter) Flevaris, MD, PhD, ’12, ’17 GME, instructor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology and first author of the paper.

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Active Non-Coding DNA May Help Pinpoint Genetic Risk for Psychiatric Disorders

Northwestern Medicine scientists demonstrated a new method of analyzing non-coding regions of DNA in neurons, which may help to pinpoint which genetic variants are most important to the development of schizophrenia and related disorders.

Peter Penzes, PhD, the Ruth and Evelyn Dunbar Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, was a lead author of the study, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell. Marc Forrest, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Penzes’ laboratory, was the first author.

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Using Stem Cells to Predict Toxicity of Chemotherapy Drugs

A team of scientists developed a new safety index for a common group of chemotherapy drugs, by using a stem cell model to screen such therapies for their potential to damage patients’ hearts.

The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, was co-authored by Paul Burridge, PhD, assistant professor of Pharmacology.

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Regulating Sodium Channels in Epilepsy

A Northwestern Medicine study may help explain why patients with the same epilepsy gene mutation experience different levels of disease severity. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), also reveal new insights into sodium channel regulation and a potential therapeutic target for epilepsy treatment.

Christopher Thompson, PhD, research assistant professor of Pharmacology, was the first author of the study, led by principal investigator Alfred George, Jr., MD, chair and Magerstadt Professor of Pharmacology.

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Insights Into the Essential Building Blocks of the Nucleus

A study published in Nature explored the architecture of nuclear lamins, fibrous proteins in a cell’s nucleus, providing fresh insights into their role in cellular function.

Using two types of microscopy, Northwestern Medicine scientists and collaborators were able to obtain the highest resolution imagery to date of the nuclear lamins’ interlaced structure. They observed the filaments are smaller and shorter then originally thought.

“It was quite a surprise; so now we think they are the smallest skeletal protein in cells,” said co-author Robert Goldman, PhD, chair of Cell and Molecular Biology and Stephen Walter Ranson Professor of Cell Biology.

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Investigating a Novel Pathology for ALS

For years, research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) — the progressive neurodegenerative disease — has focused on the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord, which was believed to be the driving mechanism in ALS pathology. The death of motor neurons in the brain’s cortex, called upper motor neurons, was understood to be secondary to spinal neuron degeneration, and less-frequently studied by ALS investigators.

In a review published in Nature Reviews Neurology, however, Hande Ozdinler, PhD, assistant professor of Neurology, outlined how recent discoveries support a different understanding of the mechanisms underlying ALS: that the loss of upper motor neurons in the cortex is critical for disease pathology, and may be essential to developing better diagnostic tools and treatments for ALS.

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Students and Trainees Study the Immune System to Improve Heart Tissue Repair

In three recent publications, Northwestern Medicine students and trainees demonstrated the potential of targeting inflammatory pathways in order to limit tissue damage and improve repair after a heart attack. The research was led by Edward Thorp, PhD, associate professor of Pathology and a member of the Feinberg Cardiovascular Research Institute (FCVRI).

Two doctoral students in Feinberg’s Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences (DGP) and a postdoctoral fellow were the first authors of the papers, published in Circulation Research, The FASEB Journal and JACC: Basic to Translational Science.

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