Health And Medicine

A specific gene expression profile represents a novel, biologically relevant “signature” for identifying colon cancers with high risk of metastatic recurrence, Vanderbilt researchers have found. Read More

A genetic predisposition to Parkinson’s disease makes neurons more vulnerable to the toxicity of heavy metals such as copper. Read More

Vanderbilt is embarking on an observational study to define and understand how a promising treatment for multiple myeloma affects the heart. Read More

Vanderbilt's Laurie Cutting was one of a select group of experts in neuroscience, cognitive science, developmental psychology and other disciplines invited to take part in a White House Office of Science and Technology Policy workshop. Read More

During the past five years, Vanderbilt University Medical Center has become a leader in “personalized medicine,” the use of genomic information to individualize patient care. Read More

As of last week, Vanderbilt has updated the process used to facilitate patient participation in BioVU, the Medical Center’s DNA repository. Read More

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) patient William Ostman smiled while gazing into a camera lens and declared, “I am a prostate cancer survivor.” Read More

Cancer is bad enough. But cancer patients who receive surgery, radiation and chemotherapy may suffer from side effects that run from irritating to crippling — problems that are postural, musculoskeletal and respiratory, along with lowered self-esteem. Read More

The Lustgarten Foundation has awarded a $1.5 million Research Investigator Grant to Stephen Fesik, Ph.D., professor of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Chemistry, for research designed to discover new drugs for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Read More

Newly discovered genetic variations linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) disrupt the function of the dopamine transporter, suggesting that altered dopamine signaling contributes to this common developmental condition, according to a Vanderbilt University-led research team. Read More

Sometimes two seemingly different subjects are more related than they may seem. For undergraduate Brian Cooper, music is just as important as science. They’re two sides of the same coin. Read More

New findings suggest a previously unrecognized role for the Sox10 transcription factor in Hirschsprung’s disease, and may lead to improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for this disease. Read More

New studies explain how T-cell receptors use force to recognize and protect us against pathogens. Read More

Although heteromeric dopamine receptors composed of both D1 and D2 subunits have been proposed to play a role in depression and schizophrenia, recent studies suggest these heteromers do not exist. Read More

New findings explain why variation in a particular gene is the most important determinant of fasting blood glucose levels in humans. Read More

A Vanderbilt University-led research team has discovered a molecular “rheostat” in the brain’s appetite control center that may provide new insights into obesity, which is at epidemic levels in this country. Read More

Prospecting for genes that might be implicated in cancer, a Vanderbilt University Medical Center research team has struck pay dirt. Read More

Progress against America’s most intractable health challenges, among them heart disease, cancer and diabetes, requires the best minds, the latest tools and the easy collaboration demanded by 21st century science. Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers have found that bathing critically ill patients with disposable chlorhexidine cloths did not decrease the incidence of health care-associated infections when compared to less expensive nonantimicrobial cloths, according to a study appearing online in JAMA this week. Read More

Outside the hospital, use of methadone to treat pain carries a 46 percent increased risk of death when compared to the equally effective but more costly alternative, morphine SR (sustained release). Read More