Genetics

Nicole Creanza and Yakov Pichkar explore whether subtle cultural differences within a language mirror genetic structure within a population. The answer: Even small cultural differences like dialect can influence the spread of people and genes. Read More

In a collaborative effort between Vanderbilt University and VUMC, Chuck Sanders and Roy Zent have secured a $1.2 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation for their innovative project, "Genetic Intolerance Patterns as a Treasure Map to Genes that Define Us as Human." The funding will bolster their study of little-known yet crucial proteins, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of human biology and disease. Read More

Julián F. Hillyer, professor of biological sciences, and his research team discovered how mosquito immune and circulatory systems are related. This work may lead to the development of novel strategies that protect beneficial insects or harm detrimental ones. Read More

Alvin Jeffery awarded $1.5M from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop artificial intelligence to predict substance use disorder through genetic information. Jeffery is the only nursing research faculty member with a dual VA appointment. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have found that children with a genetic makeup that predicts high blood pressure as adults are more likely to survive congenital heart defect repair surgery. Read More

Science’s influence on pop culture is undeniable, and the reverse is equally important. Research led by Jay Clayton, the first literature professor to ever receive funding from the NIH, shows that films portray genetic science as risky far more often than television shows. Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have discovered a new genetic disease that causes a severe form of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension, a rapid drop in blood pressure upon standing that can cause fainting. 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

All-remote collaboration results in free animal susceptibility tool to help prioritize research and closer examination of at-risk species. Read More

Mukhtar Ahmed, Christian de Caestecker and Ian Macara, in collaboration with geneticists from Australia and Italy discover novel mutations in the Exocyst, providing new understanding of a critical cellular protein complex. Read More

The first comprehensive study of how diverse evolutionary forces influence the leading cause of infant mortality is led by Vanderbilt researchers. Read More

When it comes to our differences from Neanderthals, most of what we know comes from comparing fossils. But fossils can only tell us about bones and not whole living organisms. That’s changing thanks to a new paper from a team of genomics researchers at Vanderbilt, who… Read More

An international team of researchers led by Eric Gamazon has integrated gene expression and disease association data to better understand the biological mechanisms of complex human diseases. Read More

Symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, including psychosis, depression and manic behavior, have both shared and distinguishing genetic factors, an international consortium led by researchers from Vanderbilt University and Virginia Commonwealth University is reporting. Read More

A special genetic analysis has revealed candidate genes associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Read More

Ishmail Abdus-Saboor, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, will deliver the School of Medicine's next Discovery Sciences Emerging Scholars Lecture with the topic is "Genetic Interrogation of Neural Circuit Mechanisms for Pain." Read More

Patients diagnosed with heart failure, stroke, infertility and kidney failure could actually be suffering from rare and undiagnosed genetic diseases. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators have conducted the first systematic evaluation of cognitive function in children with a rare genetic disorder. Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has expanded and relaunched genetic testing to predict patient responses to drugs. Read More

Genetic counseling is one of the fastest growing health professions in the country. Demand for genetic counselors is far outpacing the number of trained specialists, prompting the creation of a new degree program at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The Board of Trust recently approved a master of genetic counseling degree, and the first students are expected to enroll for the fall 2019 semester. Read More