Pathology Microbiology And Immunology

VUMC has joined an international effort to streamline and accelerate development of vaccines and other treatments against a growing worldwide surge of deadly and debilitating viral infections. Read More

Louise Rollins-Smith and colleagues have discovered a new way that a deadly fungus evades frogs' immune systems. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

Heather Pua and colleagues have identified the source of cellular signals that may play a role in triggering an asthma attack. Read More

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. Read More

David Aronoff and colleagues report an increased risk of the serious gastrointestinal infection C. diff following the use of NSAID pain relievers. Read More

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. Read More

Research led by James Crowe, Jr., could lead to the first effective treatment for this dangerous mosquito-transmitted infection. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

The discovery of these antibodies could significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of the leading cause of stomach illness in the world. Read More

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. Read More

The new factor, an enzyme involved in host-pathogen interactions, may be a viable target for treating staph infections. Read More

John Karijolich, PhD, assistant professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named a Pew Biomedical Scholar by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Read More

Common sequences of antibodies against HIV may be key to developing a successful vaccine strategy for the virus. Read More

A new Vanderbilt study suggests it may be possible to develop antibody therapies or a universal vaccine effective against multiple Ebola virus family members. Read More

Targeting the protein that mosquito-borne viruses use to enter cells could be a strategy for preventing infection by multiple emerging viruses. Read More

Children who underwent cardiac surgery were less likely to develop acute kidney injury if they had been treated with acetaminophen in the first 48 hours after their procedures, according to a Vanderbilt study just published in JAMA Pediatrics. Read More