Research
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Grant helps expand VI4’s Artist-in-Residence program
An innovative Vanderbilt program that brings together scientists and artists with the shared goal of scientific communication is set to expand with support from a three-year grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Read MoreOct 29, 2020
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Histamine circuits in brain reward center
Histamine — commonly associated with allergies — also has a signaling role in the brain’s reward center and may offer a novel target for treating addiction. Read MoreOct 29, 2020
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New markers of colorectal cancer risk
Vanderbilt epidemiologists identified new markers for colorectal cancer risk and characterized a previously unidentified tumor suppressor that regulates overall tumor volume in vivo. Read MoreOct 29, 2020
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Wearable sensor algorithms powered by machine learning could be key to preventing runners’ injuries
A trans-institutional team of Vanderbilt engineering, data science and clinical researchers has developed a novel approach for monitoring bone stress in recreational and professional athletes, with the goal of anticipating and preventing injury. Using machine learning and biomechanical modeling techniques, the researchers built multisensory algorithms that combine data from lightweight, low-profile wearable sensors in shoes... Read MoreOct 28, 2020
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COVID treatment studied by VUMC gains FDA approval
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center played a key role in the development of remdesivir, the first drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of COVID-19. Read MoreOct 26, 2020
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New tool to probe genetic mechanisms of disease
Vanderbilt Genetics Institute investigators have added a new method to the computational genetics toolbox. Their approach, described in the journal Nature Genetics, integrates vast genomics datasets to predict gene expression and facilitate discovery of genetic mechanisms underlying human diseases. Read MoreOct 22, 2020
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Team examines operating limits in solid-state batteries to improve driving range of electric vehicles
There is huge momentum toward adoption of battery electric vehicles primarily because performances are meeting or exceeding the properties of traditional automobiles. Consumers want electric vehicles that have similar driving range (energy density) and charging styles and times (power density) to gasoline powered vehicles. “One pathway to improving the energy density of the battery, or... Read MoreOct 22, 2020
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Preserving gut mucus architecture
A new method that keeps microbes and gut cells together will be useful for studies of complex host-microbe interactions and for analysis of clinical specimens. Read MoreOct 20, 2020
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Depression and the brain-age gap
Older depressed adults show accelerated brain aging, according to a new study from Vanderbilt researchers, who suggest that the effects of depression may speed the decline in cognitive functions in older individuals. Read MoreOct 19, 2020
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Possible COVID-19 “decoy”
It might be possible to use vesicles carrying the receptor for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to bind the virus and prevent infection. Read MoreOct 15, 2020
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Factor involved in stomach injury response identified
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified a key factor that coordinates the body’s repair response to severe injury in the stomach caused, most commonly, by infection by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Read MoreOct 15, 2020
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Brain blood vessel response to hypoxia
The brain’s response to low oxygen — growth and remodeling of blood vessels — involves certain cell types and molecular pathways, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered. Read MoreOct 15, 2020
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Team receives $4 million NIH grant for rapid test of COVID-19, other respiratory infections
Vanderbilt biomedical engineers receive NIH funding to continue the development of a rapid, precise, in-office test for respiratory infections including COVID-19. Read MoreOct 13, 2020
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COVID-19 long-acting antibodies discovered by Vanderbilt University Medical Center move to phase 3 clinical trials
AstraZeneca is advancing into phase 3 clinical trials with an investigational COVID-19 therapy of two long-acting antibodies discovered by Vanderbilt University Medical Center and optimized by AstraZeneca. Read MoreOct 13, 2020
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Computer-based study reveals impact of race on health
A computer-based method developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center that scans electronic medical records (EMRs) for genetic contributors to disease has been used for the first time to reveal the impact of race on health. Read MoreOct 8, 2020
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Researchers create molecular ‘atlas’ of GI tract neurons
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have generated the first comprehensive molecular “atlas” of genes expressed by the neuronal cells within the intestine that coordinate the functions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Read MoreOct 8, 2020
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Early steps in reovirus replication
Conformational change in a reovirus surface protein modulate the virus’s attachment to host cells, Vanderbilt researchers have found. Read MoreOct 6, 2020
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Clue to diabetic kidney disease
Vanderbilt researchers have identified a signaling pathway that promotes kidney fibrosis in patients with diabetes — and that could be targeted with an existing approved medication. Read MoreOct 5, 2020
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Team’s sustained work in T-cell immune response awarded P01 grant totaling $11 million
For more than a decade Matt Lang and collaborators across the U.S. have worked to recreate key components of T-cells and how they know when to start fighting disease. Conventional wisdom suggested that T-cells formed regular, force-free bonds with infected cells, and in doing so caused the chain reaction of immune response. The team slowly... Read MoreOct 4, 2020
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$8.7 million DARPA grant advances AI-assisted CPS design work
A new, $8.7 million project—Design. R–AI-assisted CPS Design—involves pathbreaking work for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency as future cyber-physical systems will rely less on human control and more machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence processors. Read MoreOct 4, 2020