Health And Medicine
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The adaptable anthrax bacterium
Vanderbilt researchers discover how anthrax bacterium defends itself against structural damage and resists the toxicity of the antimicrobial drug targocil. Read MoreMay 14, 2020
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Yin receives early investigator MERIT Award from NCI
Zhijun Yin, PhD, assistant professor of Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has received the National Cancer Institute’s Method to Extend Research in Time Award (or MERIT Award) for Early Stage Investigators. Read MoreMay 14, 2020
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New method captures early viral-host protein interactions
Researchers have developed a method to identify the primary interactions between incoming viral RNA genomes and host proteins. Read MoreMay 7, 2020
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Study finds AI can categorize cancer risk of lung nodules
Computed tomography scans for people at risk for lung cancer lead to earlier diagnoses and improve survival rates, but they can also lead to overtreatment when suspicious nodules turn out to be benign. Read MoreMay 7, 2020
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A dual-purpose metabolic switch
John York and colleagues have demonstrated that the protein Vip1 is a rare type of bifunctional enzyme: it can both synthesize and destroy key cellular signaling molecules. Read MoreMay 5, 2020
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The role of diet in esophageal cancer
New findings suggest that dietary calcium and magnesium affect the risk of esophageal cancer; if confirmed in interventional studies, they could inform dietary modifications to reduce the burden of this cancer. Read MoreMay 4, 2020
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EHRs, biobanks and Mendelian diseases
Electronic health records and biobanks can be effectively combined to detect and study Mendelian diseases such as cystic fibrosis. Read MoreApr 30, 2020
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Antibody finding raises hopes for Marburg, COVID-19 treatments
Monoclonal antibodies against Marburg virus — a more lethal cousin of the RNA virus that causes COVID-19 — may aid in the development of antibody "cocktails" to counter viral infection. Read MoreApr 30, 2020
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Transporter’s role in gut barrier
A disease-associated mutation in a transporter protein impairs gut barrier function, leading to gastrointestinal disease and chronic infections. Read MoreApr 21, 2020
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Reducing stress in parents of children with autism
Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders benefited from the addition of mindfulness-based stress reduction to parent-implemented behavioral interventions. Read MoreApr 21, 2020
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‘Tuning’ cell shape for division
Dylan Burnette and colleagues have discovered that two forms of the molecular motor protein myosin have distinct roles in regulating cell shape during cell division. Read MoreApr 20, 2020
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Damage, disruption, delirium
New findings suggest that treatments that decrease oxidative damage might help with postoperative delirium that occurs in up to 30% of cardiac surgery patients. Read MoreApr 20, 2020
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Research team awarded $9 million to study extracellular RNA in colorectal cancer
A multidisciplinary team of investigators at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a program project grant from the National Cancer Institute to explore extracellular RNA in colorectal cancer. Read MoreApr 15, 2020
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Study tracks genomics of lung tumor behavior
A study by Vanderbilt researchers has identified genomic alterations in early stage adenocarcinomas of the lung that may indicate whether the lesions develop into aggressive tumors. Read MoreApr 13, 2020
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Race, hormones and diabetes risk
Variation in the levels of hormones called natriuretic peptides may contribute to racial differences in susceptibility to diabetes, suggesting that this hormone system may be a target for reducing risk of the disease. Read MoreApr 8, 2020
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Researchers developing potential coronavirus antibody therapies
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is teaming up with academic, governmental and corporate partners in an unprecedented, fast-tracked global effort to develop antibody-based treatments to protect people exposed to the 2019 novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19. Read MoreApr 8, 2020
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Blocking stress-induced relapse
Danny Winder and colleagues are teasing apart the actions of neurotransmitter receptors in a brain region linked to anxiety and addiction, with a goal of finding treatments for substance use disorders. Read MoreApr 8, 2020
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Spasticity underdiagnosed
Spasticity — a consequence of stroke and other disorders of the central nervous system — may be underdiagnosed and undertreated in nursing home residents. Read MoreApr 8, 2020
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Study reveals an inherited origin of prostate cancer in families
Vanderbilt researchers have identified haplotypes, ancestral fragments of DNA, that are associated with hereditary prostate cancer in a first-of-its-kind genomic study made possible by the study of prostate cancer patients with family histories of the disease. Read MoreApr 8, 2020
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Cellular factor helps package flu genome
New insights on influenza genome packaging could guide strategies for interfering with the virus's life cycle and ability to cause infection. Read MoreApr 8, 2020