Research – VUMC Reporter

Vanderbilt tech transfer sets records: $86.7M in licensing revenue in FY22 ranks sixth-highest nationally, and $96M in licensing revenue in FY23 is largest in university history. Revamped processes in the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization makes licensing and launching new ventures faster and easier than ever before. Read More

Houra Merrikh, professor of biochemistry, and Teru Nakagawa, associate professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, have both been selected to receive one-year research awards from the Stanley Cohen Innovation Fund. The awards will support groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting research. Read More

Jeffrey Conn, Lee E. Limbird Chair and professor of pharmacology, is among 16 scientists named 2021 fellows of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Selection as a fellow of ASPET is an honor bestowed on members who have demonstrated excellence in their efforts to advance pharmacology through scientific achievements, mentorship and service to the society. Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy and Vanderbilt University Medical Center will host “Vaccine Hesitancy: The Politics of Public Health in Tennessee,” a virtual event, on Wednesday, Aug. 18, at noon CT. Read More

Paid summer research internship within Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will focus on clinical research topics within the pediatric neurosurgery discipline. Read More

Craig Lindsley, the William K. Warren, Jr. Chair and University Professor of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Chemistry, will become director of Vanderbilt University’s Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, effective Dec. 1, 2020. Read More

Vanderbilt graduate student Isaiah Speight co-authors international call to action on improvements to diversity and inclusion in the sciences. Read More

Based on the success of the MoveVU sustainable transportation program launched in 2018, Vanderbilt University has received an additional $8.4 million, funded equally by the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program and the university, to scale up its activities. Read More

A new longitudinal study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology from Vanderbilt’s Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth finds that there are no negative effects on the long-term well-being of gifted youth from academic acceleration such as skipping grades, graduating early, or a combination of advanced educational placement methods. Read More

New research shows surprising effects of interbreeding between Neanderthals and ancestors of some modern humans. Read More

Vanderbilt biomedical engineers have developed COVID-19 tests immune to supply chain shortages. Read More

Following the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission, Vanderbilt astronomer Keivan Stassun leads the next phase of discovery to find atmospheres like our own. Read More

Assistant Professor of Psychology and Human Development Autumn Kujawa, who studies the development of mood and anxiety disorders, has conducted one of the first longitudinal studies on mental health outcomes from COVID-19 and finds there is high potential for recovery when the pandemic situation improves. Read More

Vanderbilt University researchers have been tapped to deploy artificial intelligence techniques to mitigate the frequency of traffic and accidents along the Interstate 24 Smart Corridor, which stretches from Nashville to Murfreesboro. Read More

Terunaga Nakagawa and the Vanderbilt Brain Institute discover new qualities of GSG1L, responsible for activity in the anterior thalamus. Read More

New research on cognitive flexibility points to a small class of brain cells that support switching attention strategies when old strategies fail. Read More

Vanderbilt awarded NIH funds to establish the Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) program to support diverse and research-focused undergraduates in biomedical sciences. Read More

Paleoclimatologist Jessica Oster uses geological clues from stalagmites to explore implications for future climate change. Read More

Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Abhishek Dubey is applying artificial intelligence to address how the essential public transit systems of Nashville and Chattanooga—WeGo Public Transit and CARTA, respectively—can maintain social distancing protocols and proactively plan bus routes and schedules in response to COVID-19. Read More

To keep pace with Vanderbilt researchers developing COVID-19 solutions, the Center for Technology Transfer & Commercialization has facilitated three license agreements, 11 patent applications and 43 material transfer agreements in record time. Read More