Health and Medicine
VUMC-led network to focus on polygenic risk for common diseases
Jul. 1, 2020—With the aid of a $75 million, five-year grant renewal, the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics Network (eMERGE) will venture beyond its current focus on monogenic disease to scoring research participants relative risk for complex heritable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes.
Study finds zinc doesn’t reduce mortality, other health risks, for heavy alcohol users living with HIV/AIDS
Jun. 24, 2020—Zinc supplementation did not reduce mortality, cardiovascular risk, levels of inflammation or microbial translocation among people with heavy alcohol use living with HIV/AIDS, according to a Vanderbilt-led study.
A connection to schizophrenia
Jun. 23, 2020—The insula, a small region of the brain involved in diverse brain functions had widespread dysconnectivity in schizophrenia, Vanderbilt researchers found.
Single mutation causes seizure disorder
Jun. 22, 2020—A single mutation in one gene can impair inhibitory signaling in the brain and cause multiple types of seizures and behavioral abnormalities.
Probing DNA damage repair
Jun. 18, 2020—After discovering a new mechanism for DNA damage repair last year, Vanderbilt biochemists now provide direct evidence for how it works.
Studying cells in reduced dimensions
Jun. 18, 2020—Vanderbilt cell biologists have developed an unbiased, quantitative framework for evaluating single-cell data.
All of Us program launches cloud-based research platform
Jun. 18, 2020—On May 27, the All of Us Research Program launched the beta version of its cloud-based research platform, the Researcher Workbench.
Robotic technology speeds arrhythmia gene classification
Jun. 12, 2020—Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have used high-throughput robotic technology to rapidly study and classify variations in a gene linked to heart rhythm disorders and cardiac conditions.
C.diff captures blood cell cofactor to build defensive shield
Jun. 10, 2020—Vanderbilt University Medical Center scientists have identified a C. diff protein system that senses and captures heme (part of hemoglobin) to build a protective shield that fends off threats from our immune system and antibiotics.
Staph’s activation of blood clotting
Jun. 9, 2020—Staph bacteria may change the factor they use to activate blood clotting — to evade the immune response — a new study suggests.
Vanderbilt researcher finds COVID-19 pandemic shapes opportunities for radical change to the U.S. health care system
Jun. 4, 2020—A new article from Jonathan Metzl details how COVID-19 has dramatically revealed the ways that institutionalized inequality and structural racism shape health, and provides recommendations for radical change to the U.S. health care system.
Protecting the injured kidney
Jun. 4, 2020—Leslie Gewin and colleagues have upended conventional dogma about Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in the kidney, finding that it protects against chronic kidney disease rather than promoting it.