Molecular Physiology And Biophysics

With discoveries ranging from the origins of consciousness to the end of the universe, 2015 was a year of incredibly diverse research at Vanderbilt University. Read More

Anne Kenworthy, Ph.D., professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, has been named to a two-year term as chair of the Biochemistry and Biophysics of Membranes Study Section in the Center for Scientific Review of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read More

The Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics (MPB) will celebrate its 90th anniversary on Dec. 3 with a day-long symposium entitled “Mus musculus (Latin for lab mouse): What does the future hold?” Read More

The growth factor FGF1 induces the growth of new insulin-producing beta cells and may help treat type 2 diabetes. Read More

Kelly Holley-Bockelmann, associate professor of physics and astronomy, has been named director of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program, College of Arts and Science Dean Lauren Benton announced. Read More

Understanding how macrophage immune cells accumulate in fat tissue and contribute to the pathology of obesity could lead to the development of novel therapeutics for metabolic disorders. Read More

The factor FoxM1 increases the proliferation and function of insulin-producing beta cells, making it an attractive therapeutic target for diabetes. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators demonstrate that a certain eye lens protein is evolutionarily conserved between zebrafish and rat, suggesting that zebrafish can be used as a model system to understand eye lens disorders such as cataracts. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered a possible molecular mechanism of schizophrenia that could lead to new treatments for the disorder. Read More

Using revolutionary CRISPR technology, Vanderbilt investigators have developed a fast and simple method to simultaneously turn off multiple genes in order to study complex diseases. Read More

New findings suggest that it might be possible to treat diabetes by regenerating insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a new protein involved in heart cell growth, which could improve understanding of pathologic cardiac hypertrophy. Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt University and in Germany have found that sodium — salt — accumulates in the skin and tissue in humans and mice to help control infection. Read More

Vanderbilt University researchers have created a zebrafish model of skeletal muscle insulin resistance that could help improve diabetes treatment. Read More

New studies explain how T-cell receptors use force to recognize and protect us against pathogens. Read More

New findings explain why variation in a particular gene is the most important determinant of fasting blood glucose levels in humans. Read More

A cell-penetrating peptide developed at Vanderbilt blocks the signaling pathways that lead to lethal shock caused by bacterial infection. Read More

New insights to the workings of a protein that moves neurotransmitters across the nerve cell membrane could aid the design of more effective antidepressants. Read More

Defects in the production of certain receptors are linked to the pathogenesis of genetic epilepsies and fever-induced seizures. Read More

A person’s mitochondrial gene “signature” could predict risk for diabetic retinopathy and guide early intervention strategies. Read More