Breakthroughs

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

4.8 (25)
MEDICINE
UPDATED MONTHLY

Breakthroughs is a podcast about groundbreaking research and the scientists leading these discoveries at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. We are driven by our mission to transform the practice of medicine and profoundly impact human health beyond the individual patient. We believe better answers only come from discovery.

DEC 9

Investigating the Health Impact of Incarceration with Linda Teplin, PhD

With a new $20 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, Northwestern investigator, Linda Teplin, PhD, is extending the work of the Northwestern Juvenile Project to study the long-term consequences of incarceration on age-related conditions, including Alzheimer's and other age-related diseases. This project is the only large-scale longitudinal study of its kind tracking health and outcomes of detained juveniles in the years following their release.

19 min
NOV 21

Studying Social Networks to Address Health Inequities with Michelle Birkett, PhD

Understanding the systemic drivers of health disparities within marginalized populations is complex. In this episode, Michelle Birkett, PhD, explains how she uses network and quantitative methodologies to study the health of marginalized populations, particularly sexual and gender minority youth. She also discusses her new center, the Center for Computational and Social Sciences in Health, and the importance of transdisciplinary research.

24 min
NOV 4

Emerging Drug Targets in Parkinson's Disease with Joe Mazzulli, PhD

Nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson's disease, a condition for which there is still no known cause or cure. Joseph Mazzulli, PhD, has led two recent studies published in Neuron and Nature Communications uncovering previously unknown cellular mechanisms driving the disease. These studies highlight the potential for new therapeutic targets, including restoring neuronal function for patients with Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

28 min
OCT 21

New Insights into Cellular Metabolism with Issam Ben-Sahra, PhD

New research from the lab of Issam Ben-Sahra, PhD, could rewrite textbooks on our understanding of cellular metabolism and potentially identify new targets for cancer and metabolic diseases such as obesity. The discovery, published in the journal Science, has been praised for its rigorous simplicity and underscores the importance of understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie specific biological processes.

18 min
OCT 7

Understanding Gut Microbiome Science with Jeffrey Gordon, MD

Jeffrey Gordon, MD, often called “the father of microbiome research,” is the 2024 recipient of the Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science. In this episode, Gordon discusses the impacts of his long career in gut microbiome research, which has profoundly transformed our understanding of human health. Specifically, he shares the evolution of groundbreaking approaches to treating malnutrition and childhood undernutrition with microbiota-targeted therapies.

36 min
SEP 16

Overcoming Hormone Therapy Resistance in Prostate Cancer with Sarki Abdulkadir, MD, PhD

The MYC oncogene is notorious in the cancer research world because it is implicated in many advanced or aggressive cancers such as treatment-resistant prostate cancer. In this episode, Sarki Abdulkadir, MD, PhD, shares how his team bucked the conventional notion that the MYC gene is “undruggable” and uncovered a handful of compounds that block MYC gene activity, making prostate cancer tumors sensitive to hormone therapy and opening up a potential new therapeutic target for treatment-resistant prostate cancer.

23 min
JUL 22

How to Measure Biological Age with John Wilkins, MD

A team of Northwestern Medicine scientists are conducting a new longitudinal cross-sectional study to investigate why some people see to age faster than others. In this episode, John Wilkins, MD, associate director of the Human Longevity Laboratory at the Potocsnak Longevity Institute, shares details of the study, which will eventually include a variety of interventions aimed at slowing down the aging process.

21 min
JUL 10

A Compelling New Lupus Discovery with Jaehyuk Choi, MD, PhD

Northwestern Medicine physician-scientist Jaehyuk Choi, MD, PhD joins the show again to discuss another breakthrough. This time for lupus, a chronic autoimmune condition affecting 300,000 Americans that can cause inflammation in many body parts, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs. Findings by Choi and his lab members not only elucidate the underlying mechanisms of lupus but also suggest potential therapeutic strategies.

20 min

See All (99)

4.8

out of 5

25 Ratings

Unique perspective & access

03/21/2019

Baba138780

Topics are varied and interesting! Host Erin does an excellent job of including informative background knowledge and asking the right questions of guests. Episode length is just right. As someone in the research/medicine world, this gives me new insights and exposure to topics I would otherwise ignore. Thanks and keep the episodes coming!
Thoroughly captivating!

01/14/2019

NicoleMarie_123%++

I look forward to each new episode - this podcast really provides great insight into new medical discoveries and I love meeting the people behind the science.
One of my favorites!

09/19/2018

Johnny304

Excellent podcast involving some great minds in medicine. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in medical/educational podcasts.

Breakthroughs is a podcast about groundbreaking research and the scientists leading these discoveries at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. We are driven by our mission to transform the practice of medicine and profoundly impact human health beyond the individual patient. We believe better answers only come from discovery.