The Adam & Richard T. Lind Fund has enabled Professor of Medical Genetics and Director of the Center for Genetic Medicine Rex L. Chisholm to move vital Northwestern research from the theoretical realm of classical genetics to the life-changing arena of complex genetics at the Feinberg School of Medicine.

Rex L. Chisholm

Photo by Andrew Cambell

No longer, notes Chisholm, do genetic researchers simply investigate hereditary traits from single-gene studies. Thanks to the Lind Fund and Professor Chisholm, researchers are uncovering the interaction between two or more genes, how they interact together, and how they influence a host of diseases.

Not only is this type of innovative research now possible, but it is fast becoming reality at a facility wholly dedicated to cancer research: The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center on Northwestern’s Chicago Campus.

By incorporating the cutting-edge discoveries of genetics into Northwestern’s dedication to cancer research at Feinberg, Chisholm has helped introduce a scientifically holistic approach to the medical faculty. No longer is cancer research devoted to mitigating the affects of cancerous cells, but it is now dedicated to understanding the roots of cancer and how it forms from the beginning via genetic mutations.

Combining the discipline of genetics with the techniques of modern molecular biology provides students in Northwestern’s Molecular Biology and Genetics program with tools that can be used to attack major problems throughout the biomedical sciences – problems like many cancers and other debilitating diseases. Many phenomena once shrouded in mystery are now understood in precise molecular terms due to molecular genetic analysis. In large part, the ability to use recombinant DNA technology to analyze genes and then alter them in living cells and animals has been responsible for an explosion of knowledge and scientific discovery that is leading to practical medical advancements.