Immune System

Justin Critchlow, a recent Ph.D. student in Ann Tate’s lab, just published a paper with the labmates Arun Prakash, Katherine Zhong, and Tate, uncovering the intricacies of beetle immune dynamics. This paper sheds light on the dynamics of survival, resilience, and the profound complexities inherent in evolutionary adaptations. Read More

A new study shows that insect immune and circulatory systems cooperate to fight infection, similar to those in mammals. Read More

For more than a decade Matt Lang and collaborators across the U.S. have worked to recreate key components of T-cells and how they know when to start fighting disease. Conventional wisdom suggested that T-cells formed regular, force-free bonds with infected cells, and in doing so caused the chain reaction of immune response. The team slowly... Read More

Excess dietary salt activates immune cells to induce inflammation and hypertension, supporting current recommendations for low sodium consumption. Read More

The Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology has relaunched its mission with a greater focus on human immunology, an endeavor supported by additional researchers, more funding support and designation as a Center of Excellence. Read More

There’s promise in specific immune system peptides—amino acid compounds that signal cells how to function. In this case, they may be affecting brain activity and, by extension, drug cravings. Read More

New findings by Jörn-Hendrik Weitkamp and colleagues provide the first account of bacterial signatures in mammalian fetal intestinal tissue. The results suggest that bacterial DNA moves from the mother’s microbiome into the fetal intestine, which may be a critical stimulus for normal mucosal immune development. Read More

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

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered a role for immune system T cells in slowing the decline in skeletal muscle function in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 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

Although drug addiction is classically studied in a neuron-centric way, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that the immune system also plays a critical role. Read More

The histone deacetylase HDAC3 is required for the maturation of B cells, white blood cells that produce antibodies. Read More

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

An enzyme in macrophage immune cells may be a good target for treating chronic infections, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered. Read More

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

Meena Madhur, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Medicine, has received an NIH New Innovator Award, which is designed to support exceptionally creative, early-career investigators who propose innovative, high-impact projects. Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center this month began recruiting volunteers to participate in a clinical trial aimed at decoding the human “immunome,” the genetic underpinnings of the immune system. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers show that a certain factor negatively impacts the first-line responder cells in the lungs, providing one explanation for why patients with asthma are at greater risk for invasive bacterial disease. Read More

A signaling protein that is essential for recovery from acute kidney injury works by increasing the population of tissue-repairing immune cells. Read More

A new genetic model has generated new strategies for promoting tolerance to transplants – and improving long-term transplant outcomes – in the background of autoimmune disease. Read More