Northwestern raised a record $1.05 billion in research funding this fiscal year, a 5% increase since 2023. The Daily compiled a recap of NU’s latest research findings from September.
Drug used to extend health of ovaries successful in mice
NU researchers have found a way to lengthen the amount of time ovaries in mice remain healthy, the University announced in a news release on Sept. 13.
As someone approaches menopause, ovarian function declines and can lead to ovarian fibrosis, where aged ovaries become inflamed and stiff. The condition increases the chance for cancer cells to develop and curtails fertility.
Using a drug prevalent in treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a disease that causes scarring of the lungs, researchers were able to regulate ovarian scarring in mice and sustain healthy hormone levels.
The purpose of the study was to solve issues associated with deteriorating ovarian function, such as accelerated bone loss and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, Feinberg Prof. Francesca Duncan said in the news release.
While the drug can prolong fertility, there was more success in increasing the healthy lifespan of ovaries.
“We’re likely going to push the fertile window, but that is not the ultimate goal of the study,” Duncan said. “If you fix the ovarian environment, you solve all the problems because you have follicles and eggs that can contribute to fertility and hormone production.”
Harsh side effects of the drug prevent it from currently being used, but other studies seek to minimize these side effects for clinical trials in people.
New treatment combination boosts survival rate of bladder cancer
A group of NU Medicine researchers discovered that combining chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radical cystectomy — a surgical procedure that removes the bladder and lymph nodes nearby — can boost rates of survival from localized bladder cancer, according to a Sept. 16 news release.
After 24 months in the clinical trial, patients in the combination-treatment group had higher rates of overall survival and survival without recurrence or progression of the cancer.
Localized bladder cancer is particularly pervasive in older adults and men and is usually treated with chemotherapy and radical cystectomy. But it can also result in a relapse following treatment.
Feinberg Prof. and the study’s co-author Joshua Meeks said the combination technique will “likely become the new standard of care” for treating muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
“These patients have the most to lose or gain, so that’s why we treat them more aggressively,” Meeks said in the release. “Our next steps are to determine which tumors will benefit from the addition of durvalumab and why it is so effective for stage II to III bladder cancer.”
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