Pharmacology

Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria represent an ongoing global health crisis of (literally) biblical proportions. LJ Zwiebel has identified the biological factors that help female mosquitos mate, suck blood and sense environmental threats. Est. reading time: 1.5 mins. Read More

Prothena and the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery have entered into a collaborative research agreement to develop new small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in individuals with Down syndrome. Read More

Vanderbilt University again ranked among the nation’s top research institutions receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health, according to the latest data compiled by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. Read More

Body-made cannabinoids that fine tune hunger signals in the brain have been mapped, with implications for helping those with deadly feeding-related illnesses Read More

Melanoma is the fifth most-common type of cancer in the U.S., and according to the American Cancer Society, about half of patients with malignant melanoma have mutations of the BRAF gene. Identification of potential tumor biomarkers such as SOX10 can help physicians better predict outcomes for their patients.  Read More

Vanderbilt University has signed an exclusive worldwide license and research collaboration agreement with Neumora Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering precision medicines for brain diseases through the integration of data science and neuroscience. Read More

Stressful events can rapidly modify how the brain responds to its environment and guides behaviors. These processes are relevant for neurotypical brain function and for the development of affective disorders and other psychiatric diseases, yet we have much to learn regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms. In this paper, researchers utilized pharmacologic, transgenic, and optogenetic tools to evaluate changes in brain function related to stress. Read More

Richard Sando, assistant professor of pharmacology, has been selected to receive a 2022 Sloan Research Fellowship, one of the most competitive and prestigious awards available to early-career researchers. Read More

Ege Kavalali and Heidi Hamm collaborated to discover a signaling pathway for how spontaneous release of neurotransmitters can be selectively regulated without disrupting evoked action potentials. Read More

Ege T. Kavalali, William Stokes Professor of Experimental Therapeutics, has been named chair of the Department of Pharmacology in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences. Read More

Researchers discover how a protein may treat schizophrenia, including reversing working memory deficits, a hallmark of schizophrenia for which there is currently no treatment. Read More

Erin Calipari, assistant professor of pharmacology and a member of the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, has been named a Dean’s Faculty Fellow of the School of Medicine Basic Sciences. Read More

Stephen Fesik’s discovery of a cancer-targeting molecule has been made freely accessible through opnMe for global researchers to advance research into cancer therapeutics. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers push research on ketamine’s role as a rapid antidepressant another step forward. This work opens avenues for new therapeutics for half of people for whom today’s antidepressants don’t work. Read More

Lisa Monteggia and her lab have identified how specific neurons in the hippocampus work to produce ketamine’s antidepressant action. Est. reading time: 2 mins. Read More

Jeffrey Conn, Lee E. Limbird Chair and professor of pharmacology, is among 16 scientists named 2021 fellows of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Selection as a fellow of ASPET is an honor bestowed on members who have demonstrated excellence in their efforts to advance pharmacology through scientific achievements, mentorship and service to the society. Read More

Discovery shows that dopamine is not a reward molecule at all, calling for revision of textbook facts regarding the hormone’s role in the brain. Est. reading time: 3.5 mins. Read More

Research led by Lisa Monteggia reveals that ketamine provides antidepressant effects by blocking key neural pathway. Est. reading time: 3 mins. Read More

By studying extracellular vesicles from the brain, researchers at Vanderbilt and Argentina’s Universidad Nacional de Córdoba are the first to show how the incorporation of extracellular proteins into a neuron can modify neurotransmission Read More

Assistant Professor of Pharmacology Erin Calipari will share insight into how addiction has changed due to COVID-19 at fundraiser for local nonprofit Mending Hearts. Read More