Leigh MacMillan

  • Vanderbilt University

    Grant helps expand VI4’s Artist-in-Residence program

    An innovative Vanderbilt program that brings together scientists and artists with the shared goal of scientific communication is set to expand with support from a three-year grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Read More

    Oct 29, 2020

  • conceptual illustration of brain with tangled scribbles running through it

    Histamine circuits in brain reward center

    Histamine — commonly associated with allergies — also has a signaling role in the brain’s reward center and may offer a novel target for treating addiction. Read More

    Oct 29, 2020

  • gene expression

    New tool to probe genetic mechanisms of disease

    Vanderbilt Genetics Institute investigators have added a new method to the computational genetics toolbox. Their approach, described in the journal Nature Genetics, integrates vast genomics datasets to predict gene expression and facilitate discovery of genetic mechanisms underlying human diseases. Read More

    Oct 22, 2020

  • The human digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract plus the accessory organs of digestion (the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder).

    Preserving gut mucus architecture

    A new method that keeps microbes and gut cells together will be useful for studies of complex host-microbe interactions and for analysis of clinical specimens. Read More

    Oct 20, 2020

  • Blood vessel

    Brain blood vessel response to hypoxia

    The brain’s response to low oxygen — growth and remodeling of blood vessels — involves certain cell types and molecular pathways, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered. Read More

    Oct 15, 2020

  • Vanderbilt University

    Early steps in reovirus replication

    Conformational change in a reovirus surface protein modulate the virus’s attachment to host cells, Vanderbilt researchers have found. Read More

    Oct 6, 2020

  • thalamus

    Pinpointing brain changes in psychosis

    Specific regions of the thalamus — a central brain region — are smaller in adults with psychotic disorders and youth at risk for psychotic disorders and are associated with cognitive impairment. Read More

    Oct 1, 2020

  • Vanderbilt University

    Rational vaccine design

    Understanding immunity generated by smallpox vaccine may hold lessons for COVID-19 vaccine development. Read More

    Sep 22, 2020

  • Pneumonia bacteria

    Probing pathogen antibiotic resistance

    Understanding how bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics and host stresses could guide the development of more effective antimicrobial therapeutics. Read More

    Sep 17, 2020

  • electronic medical record ehr emr

    Award supports integration of genomic data, electronic health records

    Eric Gamazon, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine, has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop novel computational tools that integrate functional genomic data and electronic health records. Read More

    Sep 10, 2020

  • New mother smiling and holding newborn baby at home

    Fibroids and birth outcomes

    Women with three or more uterine fibroids — non-cancerous growths — during pregnancy are more likely to have infants with reduced birthweight and may need additional surveillance. Read More

    Sep 8, 2020

  • x-ray of cell showing cell bodies

    Assembling cell power plant machinery

    Tina Iverson and colleagues provide a structural view into the assembly of a protein machine essential for cellular energy production. Read More

    Sep 3, 2020

  • colorectal cancer

    Blocking tumor ‘signals’ and ‘fuel’

    Combining two drugs reduced colorectal cancer cell growth in vitro and in an animal model, suggesting the combination may be a promising treatment for patients. Read More

    Aug 25, 2020

  • glass salt shaker uncapped and spilled on a brown tabletop

    Salt, immune cells and hypertension

    Excess dietary salt activates immune cells to induce inflammation and hypertension, supporting current recommendations for low sodium consumption. Read More

    Aug 20, 2020

  • sinus-pain

    Risk marker for repeat sinus surgery

    An inflammatory factor in mucus could be a biomarker of treatment-resistant chronic sinusitis used to determine which patients are at risk for repeat sinus surgery. Read More

    Aug 11, 2020

  • Vanderbilt University

    ID of ‘stomach flu’ culprit

    Identifying the norovirus genotypes associated with more severe infections in children could guide strain selection for candidate norovirus vaccines. Read More

    Aug 6, 2020

  • appendicitis

    Appendix cancer survival in young patients varies by race: study

    Appendiceal cancer — cancer of the appendix — is a rare malignancy that is usually found during surgery for acute appendicitis. Although the rate of appendectomies has been stable over the last two decades, the incidence of malignant appendiceal cancer increased 232% in the United States. Read More

    Aug 6, 2020

  • Vanderbilt University

    Post-transplant complication

    Vanderbilt researchers conducted the largest analysis to date of a heart complication in children following stem cell transplant. The findings may help guide screening practices to improve outcomes. Read More

    Jul 28, 2020

  • Helicobacter Pylori bacterium, medical illustration pathogenic microorganism in human stomach

    Stomach bug hit-and-run

    The H. pylori machinery that “injects” an oncoprotein into stomach cells contributes to the development of gastric cancer, Vanderbilt researchers demonstrate. Read More

    Jul 23, 2020

  • 3d illustration of a ribonicleic acid chain from which the deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA is composed

    Cellular antiviral defenses

    A cellular RNA quality control mechanism was known to restrict replication of RNA viruses. Vanderbilt researchers have discovered it is also antiviral against DNA viruses. Read More

    Jul 23, 2020