Molecular Physiology & Biophysics

A team of Vanderbilt scientists have genetically modified luciferase, the enzyme that produces bioluminescence, so that it acts as an optical sensor that records activity in brain cells. Read More

Vanderbilt University researchers from diverse scientific disciplines are joining forces to help crack the stubborn mysteries of addiction through the new Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that regulation of cell volume plays a role in nerve degeneration and peripheral neuropathies. Read More

Terunaga Nakagawa, with colleagues from Japan and Oxford University in England, has discovered the bridgelike molecular structure of a mysterious glutamate receptor. Read More

Vanderbilt University researcher Danny Winder, Ph.D., has received a MERIT Award from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Addiction (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, for his contributions to understanding how alcohol affects the brain. Read More

Drugs that are being used clinically to treat obesity and diabetes may also have a role in treating drug abuse. Read More

New studies of a membrane transporter could explain antibiotic resistance – and lead to novel ways to combat it. Read More

A team of Vanderbilt scientists have identified some of the methods that mutant mitochondrial DNA use to circumvent the molecular mechanisms that cells use to regulate mitochondrial activity. Read More

Charles Rawlinson “Rollo” Park, M.D., a pioneering diabetes researcher at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, died Saturday, May 7, at his home in Brentwood, just two months after celebrating his 100th birthday on March 2. Read More

Maureen Gannon, Ph.D., associate professor of Medicine, has been appointed chair of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Session planning committee. Read More

Robert Lefkowitz, M.D., who shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his studies of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on March 31. Read More

Disruptions in a specific signaling pathway in the brain can cause overeating of high-fat food, researchers at Vanderbilt University have found. Read More

Newly discovered genetic variations linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) disrupt the function of the dopamine transporter, suggesting that altered dopamine signaling contributes to this common developmental condition, according to a Vanderbilt University-led research team. Read More

A Vanderbilt University-led research team has discovered a molecular “rheostat” in the brain’s appetite control center that may provide new insights into obesity, which is at epidemic levels in this country. Read More

Vanderbilt University biophysicist Gregor Neuert, Ph.D., M.Eng., is among 50 recipients of the 2014 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award. Each award provides up to $1.5 million in direct research support over five years. Read More

A Vanderbilt University-led research team has discovered a “master regulator” for cholesterol production and transport in the liver — a tiny piece of RNA called microRNA-223. Read More

Reporting last week in the journal Cell, researchers from Oregon Health and Science University, Harvard Medical School and Vanderbilt University describe the first “four-dimensional” picture of a brain receptor that plays a key role in learning and memory. Read More

An international research group led by Vanderbilt University scientists has shown for the first time that a lipid, or fat molecule, can regulate “psychostimulant” behaviors by interacting with a brain protein. Read More

The protein CaMKII acts as a calcium sensor in a positive feedback pathway that enhances glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Read More

The hormone relaxin may offer a novel approach for treating diet-induced insulin resistance. Read More