Health and Medicine
ID of ‘stomach flu’ culprit
Aug. 6, 2020—Identifying the norovirus genotypes associated with more severe infections in children could guide strain selection for candidate norovirus vaccines.
The importance of estrogen cycles
Aug. 6, 2020—Deborah Lannigan and colleagues identify a key regulator of the estrogen receptor and suggest that its downregulation by oral contraceptives may increase oxidative stress and DNA damage, a common cause of cancer.
Team to create customizable cochlear implant programming
Aug. 6, 2020—A team of Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers has received a $3.1 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to develop advanced, patient-specific cochlear implant stimulation models for customized implant programming.
Siciliano wins Fay/Frank Seed Grant and Alkermes Pathways Research Award
Aug. 5, 2020—Assistant Professor of Pharmacology Cody Siciliano has been awarded the Fay/Frank Seed Grant from the Brain Research Foundation and the Alkermes Pathways Research Award from the biopharmaceutical company Alkermes. Both awards support early-stage researchers pursuing high-risk, high-impact innovative research so that their work may become competitive for NIH grants and other types of funding in the future.
Pseudoislet system expected to advance pancreas and diabetes research
Jul. 30, 2020—The multicellular, 3-D structure of human pancreatic islets — the areas of the pancreas containing hormone-producing or endocrine cells — has presented challenges to researchers as they study and manipulate these cells’ function, but Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers have now developed a pseudoislet system that allows for much easier study of islet function.
Protein study may be key to treating fibrotic diseases
Jul. 30, 2020—A protein linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurological disease that causes muscle weakness, may be a key to treating fibrotic disease of the kidneys and other organs, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center reported recently.
Streamlined diagnostic approach to COVID-19 can avoid potential testing logjam
Jul. 29, 2020—Vanderbilt biomedical engineers have developed COVID-19 tests immune to supply chain shortages.
Post-transplant complication
Jul. 28, 2020—Vanderbilt researchers conducted the largest analysis to date of a heart complication in children following stem cell transplant. The findings may help guide screening practices to improve outcomes.
Soy food, metabolism and the microbiome
Jul. 27, 2020—Consumption of soy foods may shape the microbiome and protect against hypertension only in individuals with soy-responsive microbiota, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.
Vanderbilt develops computational method to explore evolution’s influence on preterm birth
Jul. 24, 2020—The first comprehensive study of how diverse evolutionary forces influence the leading cause of infant mortality is led by Vanderbilt researchers.
Stomach bug hit-and-run
Jul. 23, 2020—The H. pylori machinery that “injects” an oncoprotein into stomach cells contributes to the development of gastric cancer, Vanderbilt researchers demonstrate.
VUMC’s program to repurpose drugs lands international acclaim
Jul. 23, 2020—Vanderbilt University Medical Center is attracting international attention for its proposal to repurpose existing drugs for new uses in ways that can dramatically improve access to medicines by billions of people throughout the world.