Author: Leigh MacMillan

Pua lands NIH Director’s New Innovator Award

Oct. 1, 2019—Heather Pua, MD, PhD, one of 60 investigators to receive the 2019 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, will explore a novel type of cell signaling by RNAs in allergic airway inflammation.

The pediatrician examining baby with a stethoscope.

Tailoring treatment for heart defect

Sep. 23, 2019—By defining the clinical and genetic factors that predict treatment response, Vanderbilt investigators aim to personalize therapy for a common heart complication in preterm infants.

Gamazon receives NIH Genomic Innovator Award

Sep. 19, 2019—VUMC's Eric Gamazon has received a Genomic Innovator Award from the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the NIH.

Active retirement, group of three old male friends talking and laughing on bench in public park

Potential prostate cancer biomarkers

Sep. 19, 2019—An analysis of more than 140,000 people of European ancestry has identified blood protein biomarkers associated with prostate cancer risk.

conceptual illustration of brain with tangled scribbles running through it

Astrocytes and epilepsy

Sep. 9, 2019—A protein with important functions in astrocytes — star-shaped brain support cells — may alter neuronal excitability and contribute to seizure activity, Vanderbilt researchers report.

glass salt shaker uncapped and spilled on a brown tabletop

How salt increases blood pressure

Sep. 5, 2019—Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that a protein called SGK1 in immune cells is activated by sodium, leading to the development of salt-sensitive hypertension.

Cancer susceptibility genes

Aug. 26, 2019—Gene variants associated with cancer risk appear to contribute to carcinogenesis by regulating target genes that in turn promote the generation of mutations.

New prostate cancer treatment concept

Aug. 22, 2019—Combining immunotherapy and radiation therapy may be a powerful treatment approach for castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Host-microbe interactions in the gut

Aug. 13, 2019—Vanderbilt investigators demonstrated that intestinal cells promote beneficial microbe behavior — the findings support developing microbiota-based therapies for intestinal health.

Bowl of fresh mixed berries and yogurt with farm fresh strawberries, blackberries and blueberries served on a wooden table (Bowl of fresh mixed berries and yogurt with farm fresh strawberries, blackberries and blueberries served on a wooden table

A probiotic treatment for obesity?

Aug. 8, 2019—Engineered bacteria that produce beneficial compounds — and that could potentially be administered in foods like yogurt — may be a future treatment for obesity and other chronic diseases.

illustration of fibroblast cells and collagen particles

Cellular engines of wound repair have distinct roles

Aug. 8, 2019—Vanderbilt investigators have now discovered that, in contrast to prevailing dogma, fibroblasts are not all alike; instead, they have distinctive functions following tissue injury.

Intestinal immune cell interactions

Jul. 30, 2019—Understanding the roles of various immune cells that reside in the gut lining could shed light on inflammatory bowel diseases.