Health And Medicine

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that variation in the gene encoding the potassium channel GIRK1 plays a role in modulating human pain perception. Read More

More independent work environments may lead to reductions in autism symptoms and improve daily living in adults with the disorder, according to a Vanderbilt study released in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Read More

An association between rigid-compulsive behaviors and gastrointestinal symptoms in autism spectrum disorder may point to a common biological pathway that impacts both the brain and the gut. Read More

Beyond genetics — that’s the call Oliver McDonald, M.D., Ph.D., heard during the year between college and medical school he spent in a lab at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Read More

Preschool-aged children require the majority of their waking day to achieve their recommended daily physical activity, a Vanderbilt study published in Obesity found. Read More

A new Vanderbilt University Medical Center study shows there is no evidence that the risk of suicide differs with two commonly prescribed antidepressants prescribed to children and adolescents. Read More

A chemical bond discovered by Vanderbilt University scientists that is essential for animal life and which hastened the “dawn of the animal kingdom” could lead to new therapies for cancer and other diseases. Read More

Vanderbilt University researchers have received a two-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study a mouse model of the metabolic and hormonal changes caused by bariatric surgery. Read More

Cancer researchers, led by investigators at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, have identified two novel gene fusions in melanoma that may be responsive to existing cancer therapies. Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer. Read More

A metabolic enzyme plays a crucial role in vascular development and may be a good target for cancer therapies. Read More

The breast cancer drug tamoxifen improves cognitive performance in post-menopausal women. Read More

The protein CK1 delays cell division to avoid the generation of defects that drive tumorigenesis. Read More

A five-year study to explore new technologies that automate patient care outside of hospitals and doctors’ offices will identify ways technology can provide real-time feedback and guidance to patients and to alert care coordination teams before health issues escalate. Read More

A protein kinase linked to inflammation and tumor development may be a good target for gastric cancer therapies. Read More

Vanderbilt University researchers and their Belgian colleagues have discovered the mechanism behind a multidrug transporter. Their findings, posted this week by Nature Chemical Biology, could lead to new treatments for multidrug resistant bacterial infections. Read More

Developmental biologist Chin Chiang, Ph.D., and his colleagues have discovered that Purkinje neurons in the cerebellum act as central regulators of neuronal development. Read More

Vanderbilt University has received a $3 million grant from the GE Foundation’s Developing Health Globally program to fund international medical education and research in Kenya and other low-resource regions of the world. Read More

Children hospitalized for pneumonia have similar outcomes, including length of stay and costs, regardless of whether they are treated with “big gun” antibiotics such as ceftriaxone or cefotaxime or more narrowly focused antibiotics such as ampicillin or penicillin. Read More

Jason MacGurn, Ph.D., a new assistant professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt, is studying how cells make decisions about the protein composition of the cell surface. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Danny Winder, Ph.D., professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, is among 15 scientists nationwide to receive NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grants this fall for their “cutting-edge” research. Read More