Health and Medicine
“Nur” target may aid arthritis treatment
Jul. 13, 2020—Vanderbilt immunologists have discovered that the protein Nur77 is part of a control mechanism that guards against autoimmunity in natural killer T cells.
New study supports remdesivir as COVID-19 treatment
Jul. 9, 2020—This week researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Gilead Sciences reported that remdesivir potently inhibited SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, in human lung cell cultures and that it improved lung function in mice infected with the virus.
Recurrent UTIs linked to hidden reservoir
Jul. 9, 2020—Bacterial invasion of vaginal cells sets up a protective niche and a reservoir for recurrent urinary tract infections, Vanderbilt researchers demonstrated.
New space bolsters infectious disease and immunology discovery
Jul. 9, 2020—The Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation (VI4) recently moved into its new research and administrative home.
Keeping beta cells “fit”
Jul. 9, 2020—Vanderbilt cell biologists are defining the factors that help beta cells in the pancreas stay healthy, secrete insulin and prevent diabetes initiation and progression.
Kripalani to lead Center for Health Services Research
Jul. 9, 2020—Sunil Kripalani, MD, MSc, professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been appointed director of the Vanderbilt Center for Health Services Research.
New clues to lung-scarring disease may aid treatment
Jul. 8, 2020—Scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix, Arizona, have discovered previously unreported genetic and cellular changes that occur in the lungs of people with pulmonary fibrosis (PF).
Research team isolates antibodies that may prevent rare polio-like illness in children linked to a respiratory infection
Jul. 3, 2020—Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have isolated human monoclonal antibodies that potentially can prevent a rare but devastating polio-like illness in children linked to a respiratory viral infection.
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.