Eric Skaar
Chancellor Search Advisory Committee appointed; Geer to lead
May. 3, 2019—Vanderbilt University Board of Trust Chairman Bruce R. Evans has appointed a Chancellor Search Advisory Committee to assist in the search for the university’s ninth chancellor.
How bugs overcome host defenses
Apr. 12, 2019—Eric Skaar and colleagues have figured out how a common bug responsible for ventilator-associated pneumonia responds when starved of zinc, a metal it needs to survive, which may lead to new therapeutic targets for the dangerous infection.
New staph virulence factor
Jun. 28, 2018—The new factor, an enzyme involved in host-pathogen interactions, may be a viable target for treating staph infections.
New imaging approach offers unprecedented views of staph infection
Mar. 15, 2018—A new integrated imaging approach makes it possible to probe the molecules involved in invasive infections and can be broadly applied to any health or disease state.
Lighting up iron levels
Jan. 11, 2018—A new probe enables iron imaging in living animals, providing a unique tool for studying iron’s contributions to health and disease.
15 faculty members elected as AAAS fellows
Nov. 20, 2017—Fifteen Vanderbilt faculty members conducting a range of biomedical and clinical research have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Six of the 15 have received funding through the university’s Trans-Institutional Programs initiative, which facilitates research and teaching collaborations across disciplines and are a core pillar of the university’s Academic Strategic Plan.
Excess dietary manganese increases risk of staph infection in heart
Sep. 21, 2017—Too much dietary manganese — an essential trace mineral found in leafy green vegetables, fruits and nuts — promotes infection of the heart by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (“staph”).
Investigators use light to kill microbial ‘vampires’
Jul. 27, 2017—On July 24 Vanderbilt scientist Eric Skaar, Ph.D., MPH, summarized his group’s latest paper in a tweet: “If S. aureus is going to drink our blood like a vampire, let's kill it with sunlight.”
New institute to focus on immune system
Jun. 29, 2017—Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is launching a new institute to coordinate initiatives among the rapidly evolving disciplines of infection biology, immunology and inflammatory diseases.
VUMC investigators find pathogens work together to infect host
Nov. 3, 2016—Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus — two pathogens that frequently co-infect the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis — appear to cooperate with each other, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered. When pseudomonas is starved for metal by the host, it shuts down the production of factors that would normally kill staph, promoting a co-infection.
Study shows excess dietary zinc worsens C. diff infection
Sep. 26, 2016—Too much dietary zinc increases susceptibility to infection by Clostridium difficile — “C. diff” — the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections.
Detect and defend against pathogens
Nov. 4, 2015—Understanding factors, such as the receptor TLR9, that detect and defend against pathogens may lead to therapeutic approaches that promote an effective immune response to treat infections.