Immune Response

A new technique will allow researchers to track subsets of immune cells that patrol and defend the lungs, to better understand the roles of these cells during lung inflammation, infection and injury. Read More

New Vanderbilt research could inform therapeutic strategies for enhancing thymic function when desired — such as during aging, recovery from radiation therapy or chemotherapy, or other conditions that reduce T cell output. Read More

A Vanderbilt study found that, among adult patients with HIV, those who have lower counts of certain types of blood cells have a markedly higher risk of developing cancer. Read More

A treatment targeting T-cell metabolism could reinvigorate immune tolerance mechanisms to combat autoimmune disease and transplant rejection, Vanderbilt researchers discovered. Read More

An FDA-approved medication enhances the function of T regulatory cells (Treg), a class of immune cells that restrains the immune response, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered. Read More

In HIV-positive individuals with diabetes, immune cells in fat are more proinflammatory and cytotoxic and may represent a therapeutic target for diabetes. Read More

Understanding immunity generated by smallpox vaccine may hold lessons for COVID-19 vaccine development. Read More

Manuel Ascano team validates an inhibitor of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway, which is important for cellular innate immunity against bacteria, viruses, and our own damaged DNA. Read More

Understanding the roles of various immune cells that reside in the gut lining could shed light on inflammatory bowel diseases. Read More

John Karijolich, PhD, assistant professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named a Pew Biomedical Scholar by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Read More

New research links nutrient-responsive cellular signaling to the antibody-mediated immune response. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered a class of compounds that inhibit a mediator of inflammation and autoimmune disorders, and that could pave the way for development of future therapies. Read More

Scott Smith, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Medicine, has received a 2017 research award from the Stanley Cohen Innovation Fund to test a new therapeutic strategy for peanut allergies. Smith's research could fundamentally change allergy treatment. Read More

Too much dietary manganese — an essential trace mineral found in leafy green vegetables, fruits and nuts — promotes infection of the heart by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (“staph”). Read More

Elevated levels of the factor G-CSF appear to promote the development of aggressive pancreatic cancer, suggesting a new therapeutic approach for this devastating disease. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators have conducted a first-of-its-kind genome-wide association study of lung cancer survival in African-Americans. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators are probing the response to a bacterial toxin as a clinical assessment of immune function. Read More

The signaling molecule IL-15 promotes septic shock, a life-threatening condition involving organ injury caused by infection. Read More

High dose flu vaccine boosts the immune response in older adults by increasing activation of certain immune cells. Read More

Blood-forming stem cells play a role in immune tolerance and acceptance of organ transplants, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered. Read More