pathology microbiology and immunology
Zinc uptake by a deadly pathogen
Jan. 13, 2020—The increasingly antibiotic-resistant bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii requires zinc to cause infection, and Vanderbilt researchers have identified the zinc uptake system it uses.
Structural views of a C. diff toxin
Jan. 10, 2020—D. Borden Lacy and colleagues used cryo-electron microscopy to define the structure of a C. diff toxin, providing a framework for the design of novel therapeutics.
VUMC-led team isolates antibody that blocks bird flu
Dec. 12, 2019—VUMC scientists are redoubling their efforts to help people fight off bird flu. Their focus is H7N9, one of the most dangerous of the influenza viruses that have been transmitted from birds to humans.
New tool may speed antibody, vaccine research
Dec. 12, 2019—Antibody discovery and vaccine development research may be on the verge of rapidly expanding with data that previously took decades to acquire, thanks to LIBRA-seq, a new tool developed by Vanderbilt University researchers and their colleagues.
Eight Vanderbilt faculty elected AAAS fellows for 2019
Nov. 26, 2019—Eight Vanderbilt University faculty members have been named 2019 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.
Imaging host-pathogen battle for metal
Oct. 31, 2019—An unprecedented view of bacterial products within infected tissues opens new opportunities to explore infection biology and devise novel therapeutic strategies.
Less inflammation = better healing
Oct. 17, 2019—Immune cells that produce an anti-inflammatory factor are enriched in fat tissue around the heart and may be good targets to improve heart attack outcomes.
Research team sorts out drug screen false positive results
Oct. 2, 2019—Vanderbilt investigators have identified 13 previously unknown drug compounds that cause false positive screenings for amphetamines, buprenorphine (an opioid), cannabinoids and methadone.
Pua lands NIH Director’s New Innovator Award
Oct. 1, 2019—Heather Pua, MD, PhD, one of 60 investigators to receive the 2019 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, will explore a novel type of cell signaling by RNAs in allergic airway inflammation.
Cellular engines of wound repair have distinct roles
Aug. 8, 2019—Vanderbilt investigators have now discovered that, in contrast to prevailing dogma, fibroblasts are not all alike; instead, they have distinctive functions following tissue injury.
Intestinal immune cell interactions
Jul. 30, 2019—Understanding the roles of various immune cells that reside in the gut lining could shed light on inflammatory bowel diseases.
Vanderbilt team shows how stomach bug can trigger cancer
Jul. 11, 2019—Researchers at Vanderbilt University and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor have obtained the first high-resolution image of a molecular “machine” used by the insidious stomach bug Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) to inject a cancer-causing protein into the stomach lining.