Department Of Surgery

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

Eunyoung Choi, PhD, assistant professor of Surgery, and colleagues identified for the first time that Trop2+/CD133+/CD166+ dysplastic stem cells are a key source of clonal evolution of dysplasia to multiple types of gastric cancer. Read More

An international team that included researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center has discovered a molecular switch that induces rapid proliferation of zymogen granule-secreting chief cells in the stomach to regenerate damaged tissue. Read More

Surgical removal of the colon for recurrent diverticulosis varies by geographic region and is associated with surgeon and hospital factors; stronger national guidelines are needed, Vanderbilt researchers report. Read More

The profile of immune-related gene expression and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in adrenocortical cancer suggests targets for new treatment strategies. Read More

Researchers in the Endocrine Neoplasia Research Laboratory at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have received national recognition for their work to discover better treatments for thyroid cancer. A paper describing their lab work was awarded first place in the Basic Science category at the 2021 Cancer Research Competition. Read More

The motor protein MYO5B, a cause of the congenital intestinal disorder microvillus inclusion disease, does more than move cellular cargo, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered. Read More

Vasorelaxing peptides could offer a promising therapeutic strategy for reducing the neurological deficits caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced cerebral blood vessel constriction. Read More

Investigators are exploring the molecular mechanisms behind the association of chronic inflammation and colon cancer. Read More

Inflammation synergizes with a cell’s intrinsic genetic program to promote the development of pancreatic cancer. Read More

People with blood type B, a relatively rare blood type, can expect similar outcomes from kidney transplants from type A2 donors, which increases the number of available kidneys for these patients. However, it requires additional monitoring and medication that can raise costs for patients. Read More

Cancer Research UK has awarded a 20-million-pound grant (about $26 million U.S.) to a team of international investigators, including Vanderbilt’s James Goldenring, Eunyoung Choi and Jimin Min to study inflammation-related cancers. Read More

A team of Vanderbilt investigators has pinpointed the role of bile acids and a specific signaling pathway in the positive metabolic effects of weight-loss surgery. Read More

New insights into how disease and impurity were viewed in first-century Jewish society suggests scholars may need to reevaluate how they interpret Jesus' interaction with people affected by leprosy. Read More

The discovery that high levels of bile acids appear to blunt cravings for cocaine could lead to new treatments for addiction. Read More

After successfully leading Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Section of Surgical Sciences and serving as the Medical Center’s Surgeon-in-Chief since 2001, R. Daniel Beauchamp, MD, the John Clinton Foshee Distinguished Professor of Surgery, is stepping down. Beauchamp will be succeeded in this role by Seth Karp, MD, H. William Scott Jr. Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery and director of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center. Read More

There have long been more questions than answers when it comes to abdominal hernia repair surgeries, but now, thanks to a database full of information supplied by both surgeons and patients, those answers are coming to light and driving nationwide improvements. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers are comparing two types of weight-loss options to determine which is the most effective in helping obese patients reach a more ideal weight before undergoing kidney transplant surgery. Read More

Microtubules are the “railroad tracks” essential for moving intracellular “freight” around in the cell. They’re also part of the spindle that pulls the two centrosomes apart during cell division. Read More

For three years, 79-year-old Jerry Mock didn’t fully enjoy family vacations or gatherings with friends because his gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) was so debilitating that eating even a bite of food after 1 p.m. guaranteed he’d have intense burning pain in his throat and chest that night. Read More