Gene Expression

A team of Vanderbilt researchers has released a new benchmarking study that aims to assist scientists in selecting the most effective methods for analyzing spatial transcriptomics data. The study led by Xin Maizie Zhou, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and computer science, evaluates computational tools in spatial transcriptomics innovative technology used to map gene expression patterns in tissues while preserving spatial context. Read More

Graduate student Hillary Layden studies transcriptional control of cancer in the lab of Scott Hiebert, Hortense B. Ingram Chair in Cancer Research and professor of biochemistry. She shares the results from her research in which she used a deep genomic analysis to determine how protein mutations influence gene expression to promote cancer progression. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have demonstrated that a cluster of microRNAs — small pieces of RNA that regulate gene expression — work in a type of immune cells called macrophages to help protect against metabolic defects in obesity. Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Cambridge have developed a method of or predicting gene expression in hard-to-access tissues like the brain from more accessible tissues, including whole blood. Read More

Mikail Rubinov, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, computer science, psychiatry and psychology, has been awarded a four-year, $1.1 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to better understand the development and organization of brain networks, as well as their change in development and aging. Rubinov and his collaborators will link aspects of gene expression and... 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 new method speeds the analysis of factors that control gene expression from days to minutes, allowing researchers to uncover new targets for cancer treatment. Read More

Vanderbilt Genetics Institute investigators have added a new method to the computational genetics toolbox. Their approach, described in the journal Nature Genetics, integrates vast genomics datasets to predict gene expression and facilitate discovery of genetic mechanisms underlying human diseases. Read More

An international group of researchers including Vanderbilt epidemiologists has identified new DNA methylation biomarkers associated with prostate cancer risk. 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

Gene variants associated with cancer risk appear to contribute to carcinogenesis by regulating target genes that in turn promote the generation of mutations. Read More

A protease gene family may be new targets for treating mitral valve disease, which causes blood to flow backwards in the heart. Read More

Lynne Maquat, PhD, whose work has significantly advanced the understanding of human gene expression, is the recipient of the 2017 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science, officials at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) announced today. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered a novel model of evolution for factors that control gene expression. Read More

A specific gene expression profile represents a novel, biologically relevant “signature” for identifying colon cancers with high risk of metastatic recurrence, Vanderbilt researchers have found. Read More

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share common genetic underpinnings. Vanderbilt researchers combined high-resolution gene expression studies with gene association data to reveal signaling pathways linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Read More

Budding yeast occupies a place of honor in the pantheon of human history. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used for baking and alcoholic fermentation for thousands of years. Read More