pathology microbiology and immunology
How bugs overcome host defenses
Apr. 12, 2019—Eric Skaar and colleagues have figured out how a common bug responsible for ventilator-associated pneumonia responds when starved of zinc, a metal it needs to survive, which may lead to new therapeutic targets for the dangerous infection.
Research shows frogs can adapt to traffic noise
Feb. 21, 2019—Frogs don’t like living near noisy highways any better than people do, but research from Vanderbilt suggests that frogs, like hardened city-dwellers, can learn to adapt to the constant din of rumbling trucks, rolling tires and honking horns.
Probing H. pylori cancer protein
Feb. 15, 2019—Timothy Cover, john Loh and colleagues have identified how a certain type of mutation influences the risk of premalignant and malignant changes in the stomach.
Destructive ‘telegrams’ in asthma
Jan. 31, 2019—Heather Pua and colleagues have identified the source of cellular signals that may play a role in triggering an asthma attack.
VUMC scientists ‘sprint’ to find anti-Zika antibodies
Jan. 25, 2019—Scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues in Boston, Seattle and St. Louis are racing to develop — in a mere 90 days — a protective antibody-based treatment that can stop the spread of the Zika virus.
Pain relievers a risk for C. diff?
Jan. 17, 2019—David Aronoff and colleagues report an increased risk of the serious gastrointestinal infection C. diff following the use of NSAID pain relievers.
RNA processing and antiviral immunity
Dec. 13, 2018—New research by John Karijolich and colleagues have found that RNA, not viruses, activate the sentry enzymes that serve as the first line of defense against viruses.
Discovery could lead to neutralizing West Nile virus
Dec. 7, 2018—Research led by James Crowe, Jr., could lead to the first effective treatment for this dangerous mosquito-transmitted infection.
Team’s findings show glutamine metabolism affects T cell signaling
Nov. 1, 2018—Jeffrey Rathmell and colleagues show that a drug that inhibits glutamine metabolism — currently in clinical trials as an anticancer agent — might also be useful as a treatment for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Research reveals link between immunity, diabetes
Sep. 13, 2018—An immune cell called CD8+ is supposed to attack disease, but it can also contribute to inflammation, which can lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Team isolates antibodies that neutralize GI bug norovirus
Aug. 30, 2018—The discovery of these antibodies could significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of the leading cause of stomach illness in the world.
Team finds potent antibodies against three Ebola viruses
Jul. 19, 2018—Researchers led by James Crowe Jr. are a step closer to developing a broadly effective antibody treatment against the three major Ebola viruses that cause lethal disease in humans. The hope is that the antibodies — like heat-seeking missiles — would seek out and destroy the viruses before they can wreak havoc in the body.