NHLBI

Using computational tools to search for the genetic basis of what makes us human, Vanderbilt Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics Tony Capra and colleagues at the University of California-San Francisco have identified promising candidate regions. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers are studying how mutations in the receptor for light, rhodopsin, cause light blindness. Read More

Importin alpha 5, a member of a family of proteins that “shuttle” other proteins into the nucleus, is a potential new target for drugs to treat inflammatory diseases. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators used an in vivo screen in zebrafish to identify a potential new anti-cancer drug. Read More

A new in vitro system will allow investigators to explore how immune system T cells develop specialized functions. Read More

Gaining and losing weight during “yo-yo dieting” may contribute to an exaggerated immune response in fat tissue that increases metabolic dysfunction more than steady weight gain alone. Read More

The protein SARM appears to protect cells from inflammation-driven death by stabilizing the nuclear laminin scaffold. Read More

Reducing heart muscle response to calcium could decrease the risk of fatal arrhythmias after heart attacks. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered new roles for a protein involved in cell death processes that are activated to prevent tumor-causing DNA mutations. Read More

A genetic variant that increases risk for atrial fibrillation also impacts the response to a common therapy for the heart rhythm disorder. Read More

Diseases associated with mutations and changes in expression of the protein caveolin may result from faulty trafficking of the protein to the cell surface. Read More

Antacids that block a certain enzyme pose a risk for a common cardiac problem in premature infants. Read More

A factor produced by most malignant cells can both promote and inhibit tumor growth – an insight that is critical to using cancer drugs developed to block this factor. Read More

A “profile” of the genes and regulatory networks that govern early heart valve development lay the groundwork for generating valves from a patient’s own cells. Read More

Eating fava beans increases dopamine in blood and urine, but does not stimulate urinary sodium excretion. Read More

An immune system factor associated with severe asthma may actually reduce asthma attacks induced by viral infections. Read More

Targeting repair pathways in the lung’s air sacs may be a valuable therapeutic direction for pulmonary fibrosis – the scarring of lung tissue. Read More

Overexpression of a gene that is a common culprit in leukemia induces stem cell-like features in T cells, which may enable the cells to become cancerous. Read More

In critically ill patients with sepsis, plasma hemoglobin may be a new indicator of disease severity – and a potential target for treatment with acetaminophen. Read More

The factor IRF6 plays important roles in the development of the tongue. Read More