Department Of Cell And Developmental Biology

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered a molecular mechanism that promotes chronic kidney disease following kidney injury. Read More

Researchers in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine have received three grants totaling $13.6 million from the National Institutes of Health to develop molecular “atlases” of the brain, kidney, eye and other tissues. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers are studying precancerous lesions and early cancers in the colon, with the goal of developing new ways to prevent colorectal cancer, the nation’s second leading cancer killer. Read More

A Vanderbilt study found that the bacterium Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) may be a previously unrecognized contributor to colorectal cancer. Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have discovered a potential new target in the fight against colorectal cancer, the nation’s third most common malignancy and, next to lung cancer, the second leading cancer killer. Read More

The lab of Kathy Gould, Louise B. McGavock Professor and professor of cell and developmental biology, used a multi-disciplinary approach that included structural biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology to investigate the regulation of enzymes critical for cellular functions including DNA repair, endocytosis, and mitotic checkpoint signaling. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered a nanoparticle released from cells, called a “supermere,” which contains enzymes, proteins and RNA associated with multiple cancers, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and even COVID-19. Read More

Kristopher Burkewitz, assistant professor of cell and developmental biology, has been awarded $100,000 from the American Federation for Aging Research and the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research to research the biological aging process. Read More

Discovering a signaling pathway’s influence on brain development in a nematode sheds light on human nervous systems. Est. reading time: 2 mins. Read More

Research from scientists at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies shows that cells in the pancreas form new cell types to mitigate injury but are then susceptible to cancerous mutations. Read More

Paige Vega, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, has been selected as the 2021 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar. Read More

Join the School of Medicine Basic Sciences’ monthly Lab-to-Table series for a conversation with former Tour de France and Olympic athletes about science and cycling. The discussion will touch on the athletes’ personal experiences with training, coaching and medicine in cycling and how biomedical science has shaped their efforts. The virtual event will be Tuesday, Aug. 17, at 11 a.m. CT. Read More

Pioneering research from Vanderbilt scientists discovers the mechanism by which epithelial cells first find and react to wounds. Est. reading time: 3 mins. Read More

David Miller and Seth Taylor push genetic research forward by leading the completion of a gene expression atlas for the entire nervous system of the nematode C. elegans Est. reading time: 1.5 mins. Read More

A compound that increases lifespan in yeast is offering clues to pharmacological approaches that might slow the aging process and improve health. Read More

After graduating with a Ph.D. in cell and developmental biology from the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences, Alissa Guarnaccia will begin a rare postdoctoral research position with health care biotechnology giant Genentech. Read More

Sabine Fuhrmann and colleagues have discovered a novel underlying cause of coloboma — a birth defect that causes missing tissue in the eye and accounts for up to 10% of childhood blindness. Read More

Researchers will combine expertise in developmental cell biology and tissue engineering/microfluidics to develop highly complex organoids, with the goal of understanding currently incurable neurological disorders.  Read More

For the second time, cancer researchers at Vanderbilt have discovered a protein that—when genetically manipulated to impede it from interacting with a gene responsible for cancer genesis—effectively melts tumors in days. Read More

The Department of Cell and Developmental Biology hosts a weekly seminar series most Mondays at 12:15 p.m. CT via Zoom. The weekly seminars are on cutting-edge topics in cell or developmental biology as well as stem cell and epithelial biology. Visiting speakers are invited from a variety of institutions throughout the U.S. Read More