Leigh MacMillan

Antidepressant use during pregnancy is common. Fetal exposure to the class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is associated with the life-threatening condition PPHN (persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn), but a causal link has not been established. Read More

During development, neural circuits are remodeled – some synapses are eliminated and others are strengthened – to produce a mature, functional nervous system. Read More

Cells from the bone marrow participate in the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and they can also protect against it, according to new findings from a team of Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators. Read More

Parenting behaviors may be an important target for improving outcomes in adolescents with diabetes. Read More

Vanderbilt University has been selected as one of seven Dedicated Centers in the nation for the next phase of the Chemical Biology Consortium (CBC), a national network of scientists on the leading edge of cancer drug discovery. Read More

New findings identify isoketal-modified proteins as a previously unrecognized feature of pulmonary fibrosis and as a potential therapeutic target for this disease. Read More

A genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease in later life appears to benefit younger adults as they age. Read More

In a twist on the usual research narrative, Justin Siemann, Ph.D., who celebrated his doctoral degree in Neuroscience at last week’s Graduate School Commencement, conducted research on patients first, and then moved to the laboratory bench. Read More

The primary method used to test compounds for anti-cancer activity in cells is flawed, Vanderbilt University researchers reported May 2 in Nature Methods. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that activation of a certain signaling pathway protects brain cancers from targeted therapies, suggesting that using therapeutics that block both pathways may be a promising treatment. Read More

Higher genomic levels of African ancestry are associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease, a consortium of investigators reported recently in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. Read More

Craig Thompson, M.D., president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on May 5. Read More

Eric Betzig, Ph.D., who shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on April 28. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers show that two factors promote the repair of myelin, the nerve cell covering that deteriorates in diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers show that a certain factor negatively impacts the first-line responder cells in the lungs, providing one explanation for why patients with asthma are at greater risk for invasive bacterial disease. Read More

A new biological therapy, ustekinumab, improves markers of disease activity in patients with severe Crohn’s disease. Read More

The hormone leptin regulates glucose balance, but not fat stores, in zebrafish. Read More

Melanoma-specific expression of a certain protein identifies tumors that are more responsive to an immune therapy. Read More

Joseph Coyle, M.D., an expert in the neurobiology of serious mental illness, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, March 10. Read More

Combining therapies for melanoma that induce cell senescence and that activate the immune response may improve outcomes for patients. Read More