Molecular Physiology And Biophysics

Eric Delpire, Ph.D., professor of Anesthesiology, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and director of the Anesthesiology Basic Science Research Division, has spent the past 15 years developing genetically altered mice for use in scientific research, and he now knows the value of his research in a very personal way. Read More

A new method for creating genetic mutations that can be activated at certain times or in specific tissues will enable studies to probe gene function. Read More

They’ve been called “junk DNA” and genetic “dark matter” — the long segments of the human genome (98 percent of it) that do not encode protein. Read More

An analysis of Amish populations revealed novel risk genes for late-onset Alzheimer disease. Read More

(John Russell/Vanderbilt) If you ride a bike or walk to campus for work or class, don’t be surprised if you see people with clipboards making notes as you pass by in the next couple of weeks. In an effort to improve the resources for the biking and walking community,… Read More

A transcription factor called LIP is capable of causing one cell to consume another. Read More

Biophysicist Erin Rericha spent 12 days in Shanghai this summer demonstrating inexpensive methods for studying cell migration to graduate students and young faculty members from developing countries as part of an annual meeting organized by The Hands-on Research in Complex Systems School. Read More

A California high school student helped accelerate an anti-obesity drug discovery program at Vanderbilt University this summer — and provided the proof-of-principle for a new technique that could save the lab an estimated $250,000 in the process. Read More

Creating a device out of human cells that simulates brain chemistry is the goal of a $6.4 million grant which is part of major new federal initiative to develop a series of “organs on a chip” designed to improve the drug development process. Read More

New findings point to brain circuitry that communicates about the body’s nutritional status and regulates how nutrients are mobilized. Read More

An interdisciplinary team of scientists have successfully tagged a protein that regulates the neurotransmitter serotonin with tiny fluorescent beads, allowing them to track the movements of individual molecules for the first time. This capability makes it possible to study the manner in which serotonin regulates mood, appetite and sleep at a new level of detail. Read More

A rare genetic change adds support to the idea that altered dopamine signaling is a key risk factor for ADHD. Read More

Understanding how mutations in neuronal receptors contribute to epilepsy could lead to improved therapies. Read More

In this Academic Minute podcast, Danny Winder, associate professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, explains why the effects of alcohol can vary widely among individuals. Read More

Mutations in hundreds of genes involved in wiring the brain may contribute to the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Read More

Studies offer new insights into how obesity impairs the function of HDL, the “good” cholesterol. Read More

Individuals who are outside the normal range of expression for the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene have an increased risk of colorectal cancer, according to a study published in the January issue of Gastroenterology. Read More

Therapeutic agents focusing on the brain region involved in stress-induced relapse may be effective in preventing relapse in patients with alcohol use disorders. Read More

Fourteen Vanderbilt researchers have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Read More

A growth factor may help grow transplantation-quality pancreas cells for treating diabetes. Read More