Pharmacology
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How childhood trauma affects brain development and risk for incarceration: Virtual event Aug. 25
A Thursday, Aug. 25, discussion will connect how childhood trauma impacts brain development and behavior, its intersection with the justice system, and how we can integrate this understanding in prevention, diversion and restorative efforts. Read MoreAug 17, 2022
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Leveraging the structure of bacterial host cell receptors to detect cancer
Biomedical researchers open the door to new ways to detect cancer cells. Read MoreAug 16, 2022
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Research Snapshot: Discovery of mosquito survival tactics leaves room for new disease vector control tactics
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 MoreJun 1, 2022
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Prothena and Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery collaborate on new Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics
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 MoreApr 22, 2022
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Vanderbilt ranks 12th in annual survey of NIH funding; 2021 awards topped $445M
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 MoreMar 31, 2022
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Research Snapshot: Hunger signals, including those from cannabinoids, mapped in the brain
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 MoreMar 23, 2022
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Research Snapshot: Vanderbilt team discovers potential explanation for treatment resistance in skin cancer
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 MoreFeb 28, 2022
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Vanderbilt inks collaboration with precision neuroscience company Neumora to continue development of investigational treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders
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 MoreFeb 22, 2022
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Research Snapshot: Understanding the molecules and brain circuits recruited by stressful experience
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 MoreFeb 17, 2022
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Richard Sando awarded 2022 Sloan Research Fellowship in neuroscience
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 MoreFeb 15, 2022
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Research Snapshot: Vanderbilt researchers discover new spontaneous signaling pathway in the brain
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 MoreFeb 14, 2022
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Ege Kavalali to lead pharmacology department in School of Medicine Basic Sciences
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 MoreFeb 4, 2022
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A potential new approach for the treatment of schizophrenia
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 MoreDec 8, 2021
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Calipari named Dean’s Faculty Fellow
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 MoreNov 30, 2021
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Professor makes Vanderbilt-discovered cancer targeting molecule freely available to researchers through collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim
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 MoreNov 15, 2021
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Research Snapshot: New target identified for rapid antidepressant drugs
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 MoreNov 10, 2021
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Research Snapshot: Professor discovers signaling pathway that lets ketamine act as a rapid antidepressant
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 MoreOct 27, 2021
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Jeffrey Conn, founding director of Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, named 2021 fellow of American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
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 MoreSep 27, 2021
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Research Snapshot: True behavior of the ‘pleasure molecule’ will reshape how we treat psychiatric diseases and addiction
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 MoreSep 15, 2021
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Research Snapshot: Finding confirms process by which ketamine acts as an antidepressant
Research led by Lisa Monteggia reveals that ketamine provides antidepressant effects by blocking key neural pathway. Est. reading time: 3 mins. Read MoreJun 10, 2021