Pathology Microbiology And Immunology

Immune cells that recognize self antigens (e.g. insulin), but are functionally silent, can trigger autoimmune diseases such as diabetes. Read More

As choices mount for patient testing and treatment, diagnostic management has arisen at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to address two closely related questions that clinicians must ask themselves more and more often: have I ordered the right tests for this patient; and, taken together, what do these test results imply for the best treatment of this patient? Read More

Researchers have found an unusual interaction between a factor that “turns on” protein synthesis and one that produces fatty acids. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators report new insights to the workings of calprotectin, an immune system protein that “starves” bacterial pathogens of the metal nutrients they require. Read More

It may be possible to fight hospital-acquired pathogens like Acinetobacter baumannii by targeting the bacterium’s need for the nutrient metal zinc. Read More

Components of human breast milk help ward off viral infection, a new study shows. Read More

The Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology was recognized as the "Greenest Group on Campus" at the Vanderbilt football game Nov. 17. (Vanderbilt University) Vanderbilt’s Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology was the winner of the first Vanderbilt Athletics’ Sustainability Competition. The group celebrated their honor as… Read More

Antioxidants promote cell growth in a mouse model of prostate cancer, Vanderbilt researchers report in the journal PLoS ONE. The findings provide insight into the recent controversy regarding antioxidants and prostate cancer prevention. Read More

Study adds evidence for infectious agents’ role in sarcoidosis, an inflammatory condition that can lead to respiratory failure and death. Read More

The structural architecture of the reovirus attachment protein is required for efficient reovirus infection of host cells. Read More

Pampee Young, associate professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology, is one of many U.S. scientists whose research funding will be compromised by the impending enactment of the Budget Control Act (the "fiscal cliff") if Congress does not resolve the budget impasse. Read More

Two newly identified gene variants linked to breast cancer may aid in predicting disease risk and targeting screening and prevention strategies. Read More

The respiratory virus HMPV uses its fusion (F) protein – which interacts with cellular receptors called integrins – to bind to and enter target cells. Read More

A protein linked to aggressive bladder cancers could point to new strategies for treatment or prevention. Read More

Understanding how antibodies with long “loops” form may be important for HIV vaccine development. Read More

Enhancing stem cell survival is key to improving cell-based therapies for regenerative medicine, and a new drug could help. Read More

New information may help speed development of a vaccine or treatment for dengue fever. Read More

Targeting diabetes that develops after a stem cell transplant may help moderate graft-vs.-host disease, an adverse effect of the procedure, and improve outcomes. Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered that an unusual set of immune cells, called invariant natural killer T cells, can exacerbate obesity-related inflammation. Read More

Abnormal levels of fatty acids in the blood and tissues of patients with cystic fibrosis may be reversed by supplementation with the fatty acids DHA and EPA. Read More