Department Of Biochemistry

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry Yi Ren and her team have made several discoveries to illuminate the mechanisms of key host-pathogen interactions involving viruses, with implications for gaining a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Read More

Cell biologists, physicists and computer scientists use computational modeling to pinpoint the components that shape cell behavior. Read More

Tina Iverson and colleagues provide a structural view into the assembly of a protein machine essential for cellular energy production. Read More

A cellular RNA quality control mechanism was known to restrict replication of RNA viruses. Vanderbilt researchers have discovered it is also antiviral against DNA viruses. Read More

After discovering a new mechanism for DNA damage repair last year, Vanderbilt biochemists now provide direct evidence for how it works. Read More

Biochemist Houra Merrikh has been named one of the nation’s rising stars in science for her work to reverse antimicrobial resistance. Read More

Manuel Ascano team validates an inhibitor of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway, which is important for cellular innate immunity against bacteria, viruses, and our own damaged DNA. Read More

Researchers have developed a method to identify the primary interactions between incoming viral RNA genomes and host proteins. Read More

John York and colleagues have demonstrated that the protein Vip1 is a rare type of bifunctional enzyme: it can both synthesize and destroy key cellular signaling molecules. Read More

New insights on influenza genome packaging could guide strategies for interfering with the virus's life cycle and ability to cause infection. Read More

This is not the Jedi you're thinking of. This Jedi is a receptor that helps clear away dead neurons during development, and its loss changes the activity of dorsal root ganglia neurons, which could have implications for treating chronic pain. Read More

Vanderbilt biochemists got unexpected results when they used their new approach to explore the role of DNA methylation in gene regulation. Read More

D. Borden Lacy and colleagues used cryo-electron microscopy to define the structure of a C. diff toxin, providing a framework for the design of novel therapeutics. Read More

A newly identified protein interaction that affects cell cycle regulation may be an attractive target for cancer therapy. Read More

A drug used to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS is showing promise as a potential therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt's Biomolecular Multimodal Imaging Center are working to create a high-resolution, three-dimensional “atlas” of the human kidney that will help future researchers understand what exactly goes wrong when kidneys fail. Read More

An unprecedented view of bacterial products within infected tissues opens new opportunities to explore infection biology and devise novel therapeutic strategies. Read More

James Dewar and colleagues have identified a role for the enzyme topoisomerase II in reducing replication errors during the final stage of DNA synthesis. Read More

Vanderbilt scientists have identified 593 proteins that are enriched at sites of DNA duplication and chromatin packaging of newly synthesized DNA. Read More

Professor of Biochemistry Houra Merrikh distinctly remembers the day the email showed up in her inbox. Sent from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, it was an invitation to present her research to someone named “Bill”—no last name included—in two days’ time. Read More