Medical and Health Sciences

Glial cells, particularly microglia, play an integral role in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) by facilitating phagocytosis, which in turn helps limit the aggregation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tau tangles—two hallmarks of AD. However, the combination of aging and AD progression degenerates microglia into senescence. In this state, microglia secrete pro- inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-1, contributing to ... Read More

This study examines the correlation between education and healthcare through the lens of School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) in Chicago, exploring how these facilities may reflect neighborhood inequality. We analyze how SBHCs serve as indicators of the collective socioeconomic status and social cohesion of their surrounding communities, highlighting disparities among Chicago’s neighborhoods. Recent studies suggest that SBHCs play a crucial role ... Read More

Signal analysis is a key field in engineering with diverse applications, from wireless technology to medical diagnostics. Medical applications focus on analyzing physiological signals for diagnosis, treatment, and research. Electromyography (EMG) is one such technique, used to improve diagnostic and therapeutic care. This study investigates the acquisition, analysis, decomposition, and interpretation of bio-signals obtained from surface EMG (sEMG). By analyzing ... Read More

Enterococcus faecium is a gram-positive bacterium known to cause a variety of infections in humans, including endocarditis, a bacterial infection of the heart’s inner lining. PandaOmics is an AI driven platform for finding therapeutic biological targets of different diseases by aggregating biological and biomedical datasets to produce an organized list of potential biological targets for a specific disease based on ... Read More

Effectively delivering anti-cancer drugs remains a significant challenge in oncology due to their non-specific distribution and harmful side effects. Cellpenetrating peptides (CPPs) offer a promising solution by enabling the targeted transport of therapeutic agents, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and small molecules, directly into cancer cells. Bacterial-derived peptides have shown unique stability and penetration efficiency, making them strong candidates for ... Read More

Retroviral vectors are commonly used to generate stable cells to express transgenes. However, packaging high-titer retroviruses is technically challenging due to variations in co-transfecting the packaging cells with multiple plasmids that express genes essential for retrovirus production, leading to inefficient and inconsistent virus production and dramatic virus titer fluctuations. The objective of this study is to investigate whether or not ... Read More

Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is a skin disorder caused by pathogenic variants in the COL7A1 gene, resulting in a deficiency of functional collagen VII, which anchors the epidermis to the dermis. Without collagen VII, the skin is fragile and blisters easily, leading to severe pain, chronic wounds, and infection risk. However, effective, non-opioid pain treatments remain limited, highlighting the ... Read More

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder linked to immune dysregulation and ceramide deficiency. We used human skin explant models to investigate the role of the de novo ceramide synthesis pathway in AD pathogenesis. Skin explants were maintained at an air-liquid interface and treated for seven days with cytokines that drive the inflammation and itch of AD: IL-4/IL-13 ... Read More

Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell and a major component of the innate immune system. To study their function, they can be isolated from several parts of the body including blood and the oral cavity. Previous work suggests that blood-derived neutrophils function similar to oral neutrophils, with no major differences in quality. Our lab currently isolates neutrophils from ... Read More

DDX18 is a member of the DEAD-box RNA helicases. As a nucleolar protein, DDX18 helps maintain the stemness of cells through positively regulating ribosome synthesis. Higher expression of DDX18 is associated with tumor growth from multiple tissue origins. Proximity labeling in tandem with mass spectroscopy revealed interaction between DDX18 and centromeric protein CENPA. It has been previously demonstrated that centromeres ... Read More

Ballistic injuries are a leading cause of penetrating brain injury (PBI) worldwide. PBI is associated with a myriad of complications including seizure. An estimated 26,871 cases of PBI were reported in the United States over five years, and the incidence of post-traumatic seizures estimated at 1 in 50. Despite the presumed high prevalence of seizures in this patient population, there ... Read More

Computational Modeling (CM) plays a crucial role in studying neuromuscular disease by aiding in the study of the effects of diseases and predicting the effectiveness of new treatments, with simulations and informed decision making through cross validation. The Neuromuscular Junction (NMJ) is a specialized synapse where motor neurons communicate with skeletal muscle fibers, enabling muscle contraction. The goal of this ... Read More

African American and Hispanic women world-wide are more likely to exhibit a worse outcome from triple negative breast cancer (TBNC), which is why new therapeutics are desperately needed. Interestingly, their cells uniquely overexpress the potassium ion channel, Kv11.1, which affects mechanisms regulating cell proliferation and metastasis. A study by the Minshall lab showed that a drug called NS1643 activates Kv11.1 ... Read More

Microglia are resident brain macrophages that modulate the release of cytokines to mediate neuroinflammation. Conversely, they may release inflammatory mediators that promote protein aggregation and neuronal damage in neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, challenges with obtaining mature microglia reprogrammed from inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) hinder the ability to accurately understand their role in neurodegenerative diseases in vitro. Our objective, therefore, is ... Read More

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men and ranks sixth in cancer-related mortalities. One avenue of research aims to demonstrate how mutations in the more clinically mutated HOXB13 affect MEIS1’s impact in regulating proteoglycans decorin and lumican in castration resistant prostate cancer. The lab has already demonstrated MEIS1-HOXB13’s role in impacting decorin and lumican; however, it is ... Read More

Crohn’s disease (CD) has evolved into a global health challenge, underscoring the need for new therapeutic strategies. The pathogenesis of CD is complex and multifactorial, involving gut epithelial barrier defects, dysregulated immune responses, and a dysbiotic microbiota. Prior studies show that Bifidobacterium longum, a common gut commensal, is depleted in CD patients, but its mechanisms in intestinal immune system regulation ... Read More

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus that impacts the retinal vasculature, leading to progressive vision impairment and potential blindness if left untreated. This study investigates the efficacy of automated segmentation techniques in the evaluation of DR severity. The objective is to establish a precise and efficient methodology for the quantification of critical retinal biomarkers, including blood ... Read More

Modern medicine has been seen to cause a development of resistance after time of usage, this ineffectiveness causes stronger doses and the need for a change in antibiotics. Due to this problem, the development of more antibiotics has become crucial despite its difficult process to create and execute. Natural products have been noted to have much less resistance development over ... Read More

Modern medicine has been seen to cause a development of resistance after time of usage, this ineffectiveness causes stronger doses and the need for a change in antibiotics. Due to this problem, the development of more antibiotics has become crucial despite its difficult process to create and execute. Natural products have been noted to have much less resistance development over ... Read More

Chronic low-grade inflammation is often associated with impaired glucose metabolism and elevated blood sugar levels. Increases in blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) have been shown to trigger inflammatory pathways, leading to the increased production of cytokines. Prolonging hyperglycemia can lead to increased insulin resistance and the development of diabetes. This study aimed to develop an in vitro model to investigate the ... Read More

Antibacterial resistant infections such as MRSA are on the rise. Though there are antibiotics that still work on these infections, overprescription will eventually lead to those treatments also becoming ineffective. The intention of this study is to determine the feasibility of using Lavender Essential Oil in different forms to assist antibiotics in the treatment of these infections. Three different forms ... Read More

The pressure of the bladder is critical to treat the neurogenic bladder dysfunction in the patients with myelomeningocele, where loss of bladder control can cause kidney damage, urinary tract infections, and even death. The development of semi-invasive implantable bioelectronic devices that can sense bladder pressure opens the door for a new generation of urodynamics (UDS) tools; however, long-term biocompatibility needs ... Read More

Prions are defined as infectious proteins that exist in regular non-prion or aggregated conformations. Prions play a crucial role in the epigenetic inheritance of traits in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Among these, [PSI +] and [PIN +] are prion forms of Sup35p and Rnq1p, respectively. The presence of [PIN +] facilitates the induction of [PSI +], suggesting a key biochemical interaction between ... Read More

The effectiveness of cancer therapies usually depend on how well they can disrupt the cell cycles of dividing cancer cells. In this study, we used Fluorescent Ubiquitination-based Cell Cycle Indicator (FUCCI) to track the cell cycle progression in multiple cancer cell lines treated with various drugs. FUCCI essentially color codes the cells, showcasing which stage of the cell cycle they’re ... Read More

Antibacterial resistance is rapidly becoming one of the greatest health challenges worldwide as of the 21st century due to a lack of knowledge around proper usage of antibiotics. The Tiny Earth project addresses this increased resistance to antibiotics with a global effort aiming to find new antibiotic producing bacteria within soil, while also educating students on antibiotics. Using Tiny Earth’s ... Read More

Bladder dysfunctions in pediatric patients, specifically those with spina bifida, often lead to neurogenic bladder, which necessitates continuous monitoring. Traditional diagnostic methods like urodynamic studies(UDS) are invasive and only provide intermittent data, which limits long-term management. This study evaluates a transient wireless strain system for continuous bladder pressure monitoring, aiming to reduce patient discomfort and improve clinical outcomes.

Using a ... Read More

The skin acts as a vital barrier against external factors, including nanoplastics (NPs)—ubiquitous environmental materials with unknown effects on the skin. NPs originate from the breakdown of plastic bottles, tires, paints, and cosmetics and spread through ingestion, inhalation, and contact. However, their effects on the skin barrier remain unknown. We investigated the impacts of polystyrene (PS) NPs on barrier function ... Read More

Ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic is a public health priority in Illinois, with the statewide Getting- to-Zero (GTZ) initiative aiming to reach a “functional zero” by 2030. Functional zero means that Illinois will report fewer than 100 new cases of HIV annually, the point where the HIV epidemic no longer sustain itself. Racial and ethnic minorities as well as sexual and ... Read More

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a sex-biased disease characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling, increased resistance to blood flow through vasculature, and right heart failure. This project aimed to determine the relationship between PAH and obesity, a comorbidity of PAH, on the lung phenotype of a murine model. This model displays both stages of PAH: pulmonary arterial thickening, and obliteration of ... Read More

This study analyzes the connections between reported diet, in terms of fruit and vegetable (FAV) and fat-content intake, observed serum carotenoid values, socioeconomic level, and kidney function in people with sickle cell disease. An adequate FAV intake and low fat consumption have beneficial impacts on kidney health. People with sickle cell disease are at much higher risk of medical complications ... Read More

Sleep health is an important determinant of general well-being, however many young adults have irregular sleep patterns due to environmental and behavioral influences. This study looks at the association between light exposure and sleep quality, specifically among undergraduate students at Northwestern University. In the first phase of survey distribution, 92 participants evaluated their sleep patterns, chronotype, and overall sleep health ... Read More

One of the hallmarks of neuroblastoma is amplification of the MYCN oncogene which is associated with poor prognosis. In MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) and H3K27me3 co-localize to repress differentiation genes, driving malignancy. Despite evidence of in vivo efficacy, inhibiting the deposition of H3K27me3 with tazemetostat is not effective in patients as a single agent, suggesting the development of resistance mechanisms. ... Read More

Neurotoxic amyloid-beta-oligomers (AβOs) accumulate in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, driving cognitive decline and dementia. Determining their size via Western Blots (WB) could help create targeted therapies, yet exposure to detergent SDS could potentially lead to significant changes in the subunit association. Moreover, improper sample or antibody concentrations can cause primary antibody cross- linking, resulting in misleading signals (e.g., a stronger ... Read More

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly increased the lifespan of people living with HIV (PLWH), but as this population ages, they face an elevated risk of osteoporosis, particularly among women. Bone loss is a well-documented consequence of ART, with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) being strongly associated with decreased bone mineral density (BMD). Tenofovir itself has poor oral bioavailability, necessitating the development ... Read More

Stroke rehabilitation faces challenges in providing real-time care outside clinical settings, as they require in-person supervision and lack personalized monitoring of continuous progression in stroke rehabilitation. Recent advances in wearable sensors (e.g., inertial measurement unit (IMU), electromyography (EMG)) offer avenues to longitudinally track arm use in the real-world setting, e.g. during activities of daily living at home. However, challenges remain ... Read More

After a stroke, patients often experience hemiparesis, a condition that causes weakness on one side of the body. Hemiparetic gait can cause abnormal gait patterns that can lead to the deterioration of knee cartilage, resulting in pain, osteoarthritis, and a loss of function. Currently, we do notunderstand the impact of neuromuscular impairment in people post-stroke on knee joint contact forces. ... Read More

Long-COVID is a condition where individuals continue to experience symptoms after recovering from the acute phase of COVID-19. A common symptom of long COVID is brain fog, a term which refers to cognitive impairments including problems with attention and memory. This project aims to address this gap and examine the acceptability of a potential attention intervention among people living with ... Read More

Sudden cardiac arrest (CA) is a leading cause of death, and post-resuscitation injury risks survival in the days following. Recent studies suggest excessive oxygen following CA may contribute to poor outcomes. We hypothesize that oxygen-mediated mitochondrial injury is caused by Dynamin-Related Protein 1 (Drp1), and if we target Drp1, it can alleviate oxygen toxicity, improving survival and recovery. To test ... Read More

Metastatic ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, primarily due to the limitations of existing treatments. Chemotherapy, though common, often leads to toxic side effects and drug resistance, while radiation therapy is largely untargeted, resulting in significant collateral damage. Since IL13Ra2 protein is overexpressed in ovarian cancer cells, this research aims to conjugate the IL13Ra2-targeted ... Read More

Single ventricular defects are a type of congenital heart disease that can be treated through the Fontan Procedure, where a conduit is implanted connecting the inferior vena cava to the pulmonary artery (PA). Native vasculature grows over time, whereas the synthetic conduit does not. This study focused on growth of the PA over time, resulting in conduit shape and hemodynamic ... Read More

Enhancing Doula Care Support for BIPOC birthing persons Within healthcare, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) experience significant maternal health disparities in the United States, including rising rates of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity. The Well-Mama research study involves integrating Community Doula Navigators (CDN) into perinatal care through telehealth check-ins, support groups, and labor support. The study prioritizes ... Read More

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in American men. While prostate cancer is very treatable, there remains a need for alternative treatments for those who are resistant to androgen based therapies. MEIS1 and HOXB13 regulation is associated with proteoglycans like decorin and lumican to promote a tumor suppressive phenotype. Therefore, this project aims to elucidate how ... Read More

Microglia, the brain’s resident macrophages, shift between surveillance and activation in response to neuroinflammation. Previous studies have shown that Orai1, a key calcium channel, plays a critical role in regulating microglia function. Microglia morphology is directly related to function, typically more ramified in surveillant state and more amoeboid when activated. We hypothesized that the deletion of the Orai1 channel in ... Read More

Dementia is a common issue among aging people. While general physical activity is known to support cognitive health, perceptions regarding the benefits of strength training specifically remain undiscovered. Understanding these perceptions is essential due to the Health Belief Model (HBM). The HBM states that the likelihood that people take action to prevent a health issue is directly correlated to their ... Read More

Proviral integration site for malignancy-1 (PIM-1) is a serine/threonine kinase proto-oncogene that has many important functions, namely cell proliferation and signal transduction, in the context of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Generally, PIM-1 kinase, which arises from the expression of the PIM-1 oncogene, can cause poor prognosis of AML. Additionally, PIM-1 kinase, also a substrate of Triad1, stabilizes as expression of ... Read More

Liposarcoma, a malignant soft tissue sarcoma, is frequently characterized by MDM2 amplification and CDK4 overexpression, making these proteins attractive therapeutic targets. Current treatments utilize MDM2 or CDK4 inhibitors seperately, but face challenges such as resistance and limited efficacy. This study evaluates the therapeutic potential of novel dual- target inhibitors that simultaneously suppress MDM2 and CDK4 in an in vitro liposarcoma ... Read More

Vascular aging, a chronic state of low-grade inflammation, is a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. As the innermost lining of the blood vasculature, endothelial cells (ECs) play a major role in vessel health. At the cellular level, appropriate nuclear structure determines proper cell functionality and homeostasis. Previous research identified nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) as crucial factors in maintaining nuclear ... Read More

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by pathogenic accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) oligomers in a mortality-inducing cognitive decline self-reinforcing feedback loop. A key driver of AD pathology is Aβ oligomer (AβO) neurotoxicity, precipitating dysfunction in synaptic transmission and ultimately resulting in neuronal death. Recent studies show that in both death signaling pathways activated by AβO involve ... Read More

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a lead cause of chronic pain and disability, yet early detection and personalized treatment remain challenging. OsteoPredict is an AI-driven application designed to improve OA management by integrating predictive risk modeling, patient monitoring, and evidence-based treatment recommendations.

The application employs a machine learning-driven risk stratification model utilizing demographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors to predict an individual’s likelihood ... Read More

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare, progressive lung disease primarily affecting women of childbearing age. Characterized by bi-allelic mutations in TSC1 or TSC2, LAM leads to elevated mTORC1 activity, resulting in pulmonary tumor nodules and reduced lung function. One possible method of treatment is the rapamycin drug which works through the inhibition of the mTOR. However, while rapamycin therapy slows tumor ... Read More

Nicotine is an addictive chemical that leads to tolerance and withdrawal and acts as an agonist for the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), a family of ligand-gated ion channels. When nicotine binds to nAChRs, the ligand-gated ion channels open and allow ions like calcium to enter the cell. Calcium can activate an assortment of downstream signaling processes, including further ionic currents ... Read More