Research
-
Amish aid study of Parkinson genetics
Amish populations are valuable for genetic research because of their isolation, shared ancestry and homogeneous lifestyles. Read MoreNov 11, 2013
-
Defusing ‘C. diff’ infection
Clostridium difficile on the intestinal lining. (Wellcome Images) Clostridium difficile (“C. diff”) infection is a leading cause of hospital-associated diarrhea, and the frequency and severity of infections are on the rise. D. Borden Lacy, Ph.D., associate professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, and colleagues recently demonstrated that the C. Read MoreNov 8, 2013
-
Neurotransmitter’s role in bone balance
Removal of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine from the space outside cells plays an important role in the regulation of bone remodeling. Read MoreNov 7, 2013
-
Robotic advances promise artificial legs that emulate healthy limbs
Recent advances in robotics technology make it possible to create prosthetics that can duplicate the natural movement of human legs which promises to dramatically improve the mobility of lower-limb amputees. Read MoreNov 7, 2013
-
Understanding the lifelong benefits of preschool
High-quality preschool is an effective way to reduce social problems associated with poverty because it teaches children the psychological skills they need to succeed as adults, according to a Vanderbilt professor who studies the economics of human development. Read MoreNov 7, 2013
-
Tricking algae’s biological clock boosts production of drugs, biofuels
Tricking algae’s biological clock to remain in its daytime setting can dramatically boost the amount of commercially valuable compounds that these simple marine plants can produce when they are grown in constant light. Read MoreNov 7, 2013
-
Breast SPORE lands NCI renewal
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center’s Breast Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) has been awarded a third round of funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Read MoreNov 7, 2013
-
Community Research Day brings area agencies together
The first Community Research Day, sponsored by the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance and the Meharry-Vanderbilt Community-Engaged Research Core, was held Tuesday at the MetroCenter headquarters of United Way of Metropolitan Nashville. Read MoreNov 7, 2013
-
Framingham Heart director to speak at VU
Daniel Levy, M.D., director of the famed Framingham Heart Study, will deliver the seventh annual Meredith S. and John A. Oates Lecture in Clinical Pharmacology on Thursday, Nov. 14. Read MoreNov 7, 2013
-
Grant bolsters HIV pharmacy support program
The Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic has received a nearly $40,000 grant for 2013-2014 from the Baptist Healing Trust (BHT) for its Pharmacy Support Program, which provides free or low-cost medications to people with HIV/AIDS. Read MoreNov 7, 2013
-
VU study sheds new light on DNA replication
David Cortez, Ph.D., and his Vanderbilt colleagues report new findings that shed light on fundamental processes involved in DNA replication and have implications for cancer therapies that target these processes. Read MoreNov 7, 2013
-
Involuntary teacher transfers put better teachers with neediest students
Allowing principals to involuntarily transfer teachers within a district resulted in more productive teachers replacing lower performing teachers in mostly disadvantaged schools. Read MoreNov 6, 2013
-
Same-sex marriage issue could define Justice Kennedy’s place in history
If circumstances land the right same-sex marriage case in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, than Justice Anthony Kennedy may find himself in the history books as the judge who makes gay marriage legal for good, says a Vanderbilt University law professor. Read MoreNov 5, 2013
-
Expert: Strategic role for IT would have helped avoid health care website troubles
Government leaders did not properly recognize the strategic role of IT in defining and implementing policy in rolling out the online insurance exchanges mandated by the Affordable Care Act, according to Douglas C. Schmidt, a professor of computer science at Vanderbilt University. Read MoreNov 1, 2013
-
CNN Opinion: Has the NSA gone rogue?
Although the NSA may not conduct queries or examine content unless it or a court determines that “national security” is at stake, national security is apparently at stake quite often, if the recent reports about monitoring hundreds of thousands of foreigners’ calls as well as the calls of foreign leaders are true, writes Christopher Slobogin, Milton R. Underwood Professor of Law. Read MoreOct 31, 2013
-
Knowing who their physician is boosts patient satisfaction
Knowing who your doctor is — and a couple of facts about that person — may go a long way toward improving patient satisfaction, according to a Vanderbilt study in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma. Read MoreOct 31, 2013
-
Pioneers of Discovery: Investigator driven to divine cellular ecosystem’s rulebook
Ken Lau, Ph.D., a new assistant professor in Cell and Developmental Biology, is out to determine the rules that lead to cells converting from one type to another, for example, when a healthy cell becomes a cancer cell. Read MoreOct 31, 2013
-
VU ‘crosslinks’ study sheds light on chemical toxicity
Vanderbilt researchers have characterized the chemical structures of a series of DNA-protein “crosslinks” that may lead to better ways to avoid the cancer-causing potential of environmental chemicals and prevent some drug toxicities. Read MoreOct 31, 2013
-
Fisk, VU planning novel academic bridge program
Fisk University and Vanderbilt University have begun planning for a novel academic bridge program comprising a three-year accelerated Fisk undergraduate degree, weighted toward courses in natural science, mathematics or computer science, followed by a computer science master’s degree from Fisk, bridging to a Biomedical Informatics Ph.D. from Vanderbilt. Read MoreOct 31, 2013
-
Penn named to vision group’s scientific advisory panel
John Penn, Ph.D., vice chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Vanderbilt, has been named to the Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) Scientific Advisory Panel. Read MoreOct 31, 2013