School Of Medicine Basic Sciences

See how these Chancellor Faculty Fellows are leading on campus and beyond. Read More

John Kuriyan has been reappointed as dean of the School of Medicine Basic Sciences for a second five-year term. Kuriyan, the Mary Geddes Stahlman Chair and University Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Cell and Developmental Biology, will begin his new term Jan. 1, 2028, after his current appointment ends Dec. 31, 2027. Read More

Larry Marnett, a pioneer of the bioactive lipid research field and a University Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, has received the inaugural Honn-McGiff Lifetime Achievement Award from the Eicosanoid Research Foundation and the Winter Eicosanoid Conference. Read More

Learn about some breakthrough research centers led by Chancellor Faculty Fellows. Read More

Rafael Arrojo e Drigo, an assistant professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, has won a prestigious 2027 Laureate Award from the international Endocrine Society for innovative research that “has transformed our understanding of thyroid hormone biology, diabetes, and the biology of aging.” Read More

Spencer Rothfuss, Hannah Collins, and James Hayes are the winners of the 2026 Cell Imaging Shared Resource Life Is Beautiful Image Contest. Their striking images showcase the beauty and complexity of biological structures revealed through advanced microscopy. Read More

Research into an aging paradox reveals details on why certain dysfunctions in mitochondria can lead animals to live longer lives. Read More

You’ve probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Vanderbilt researchers have discovered why that adage holds weight—especially for the one in nine adults worldwide living with diabetes. Read More

A new method pioneered by the lab of Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology Ken Lau is poised to make previously inaccessible medical knowledge that has been locked away in old patient samples newly accessible to scientists. Read More

For graduate students and postdoctoral fellows contemplating their next career steps, the possibilities can seem both exciting and overwhelming. The Vanderbilt University Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training’s 2026 Annual Career Symposium offered a roadmap to those possibilities, bringing together alums and professionals from across the biomedical enterprise to demonstrate the breadth of careers available to scientists beyond the traditional academic pathway. Read More

At the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, researchers are advancing neuroscience discoveries through molecular biology, pharmacology, drug discovery, and more. Their work seeks to understand how the brain functions in health and disease, identify new therapeutic targets, and develop innovative treatments for conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s and addiction to depression and epilepsy. Read More

Blood sugar spikes after lunch aren’t necessarily all about what you just ate—what you had for breakfast might have made a difference. Vanderbilt researchers are analyzing what people eat, and when, and how that affects liver function and blood sugar and insulin levels throughout the day. This may help clinicians better design individual treatments for patients with diabetes. Read More

Eleven of Vanderbilt University’s most promising recently tenured faculty have been awarded spots in the 2026 Chancellor Faculty Fellows program. This year’s recipients demonstrate exceptional and innovative scholarly achievement. “These scholars represent the next generation of academic leaders, advancing the bold ideas and transformative research that are strengthening Vanderbilt’s… Read More

Anonymous donors have committed $25 million to build a bold new hub of innovation and discovery at Vanderbilt University—a multipurpose science facility that will shape the future of research and education on campus and beyond. Read More

Martin Egli, the Richard N. Armstrong, Ph.D. Professor of Innovation in Biochemistry and a professor of biochemistry at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, delivered a Kairos Lecture on May 28. Egli’s work, which has resulted in over 300 publications and two influential nucleic acid textbooks, has advanced strategies to stabilize RNA for therapeutic applications, including siRNA. He has received major honors and extensively served his department and the university. Read More

The Vanderbilt University Center for Structural Biology and Center for AI in Protein Dynamics recently hosted a symposium called “Bridging Atoms and Algorithms: A Symposium on AI and Structural Biology.” The March event brought together Vanderbilt faculty, trainees, and invited speakers to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and structural biology, share research, and foster new scientific collaborations. Read More

Postdocs Andrew Rice and Yanqing Xue, in the biochemistry lab of Professor Doug Mitchell, discovered which enzyme is responsible for a rare chemical modification that doesn’t exist in human cells. That could be crucial for developing antibiotics that can target bacteria while leaving human hosts’ cells completely alone. Read More

PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” have already been linked to disruptions in thyroid hormones, among other detrimental health effects. A recent paper by first author Heather Hartmann, a Ph.D. student in the lab of Associate Professor Vivian Weiss, dug into thyroid cell behavior under long-term exposure to PFAS. It finds that the chemicals alter cellular function, including signaling pathways that are involved in cancer. “We hope [this] can help people who are already at risk for thyroid cancer … make better-informed choices, as consumers, to limit exposure to these chemicals,” Hartmann said. Read More

Graduate and professional students share how they've become more of the person they want to be while at Vanderbilt. Read More

Read what inspires and motivates these graduate and professional students to make a positive impact. Read More