Department Of Biochemistry

New findings add to the understanding of how the enzyme COX-2 works, which is critical to the development of COX-2-targeted anti-inflammatory drugs. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators have developed a framework for studying cellular responses that could be used to identify the agents driving a range of biological processes in health and disease. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered how mammals, including humans, produce the painkiller morphine. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers are exploring how neuroblastoma tumors begin and progress, knowledge that could provide new treatments for this pediatric cancer. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered how certain molecules with antibiotic properties are synthesized, findings that could lead to new drugs that overcome the increased antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Read More

Compounds found in olives and olive oil have anticancer activity, which may contribute to the cancer preventive properties attributed to the Mediterranean diet. Read More

Vanderbilt and Stanford investigators have discovered how a protein that's part of the DNA replication "machinery" helps cells tolerate DNA damage. Read More

Albert Einstein once wrote, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” For Emily Hodges, Ph.D., that awakening occurred in a high school science class taught by Trudy Anderson, Ed.D. “She made science exciting,” Hodges said. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s F. Peter (Fred) Guengerich, Ph.D., has been named interim editor-in-chief of the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC). Read More

(photo by Joe Howell) Catherine Deatherage, a graduate student in the lab of Charles Sanders, Ph.D., received this year’s Leon W. Cunningham Award for Excellence in Biochemistry during a presentation last week. The award, named for the late Leon Cunningham, Ph.D., former chair of the Department of Biochemistry,… Read More

Richard N. Armstrong, Ph.D., professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry, prominent biochemist, journal editor and mentor, died on June 18 after a brief illness. He was 66. Read More

A new imaging probe developed by Vanderbilt investigators enhances tumor visibility and has broad applications in diagnosing and monitoring patients with cancer. Read More

Vanderbilt University investigators have identified a cellular receptor for a toxin from Clostridium difficile (“C. diff”) — the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea in the United States. Read More

David E. Ong, Ph.D., professor of Biochemistry, emeritus, whose contributions to research in the area of vitamin A biochemistry were recognized worldwide, died April 25. He was 71. Read More

Vanderbilt University researchers have achieved the first “image fusion” of mass spectrometry and microscopy — a technical tour de force that could, among other things, dramatically improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Read More

The Vanderbilt University Department of Biochemistry will host a two-day symposium March 6-7 to honor the 60th birthday of Walter Chazin, Ph.D., director of the Center for Structural Biology. Read More

A series of experimental antibiotics may be a good starting point for developing new anticancer drugs. Read More

The Lustgarten Foundation has awarded a $1.5 million Research Investigator Grant to Stephen Fesik, Ph.D., professor of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Chemistry, for research designed to discover new drugs for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Read More

Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D., recipient of a 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Jan. 8. Read More

Human cells are constructed in large part from proteins whose activity can be altered by the incorporation of oxygen in what are known as redox modifications. Read More