School Of Medicine Basic Sciences

Amanda Linkous, research associate professor of pharmacology, has been awarded a research grant from the Merck Research Laboratories Scientific Engagement and Emerging Discovery Science (SEEDS) program to identify therapeutic intervention points to prevent the colonization and proliferation of small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer in the lung and brain. Read More

Alan Hurtado, a Chemical and Physical Biology Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Edward Levine, has been awarded the first Linda Sealy Emerging Scholar Travel Award. The award was established to enhance the STEM talent pipeline by promoting a more inclusive environment that supports trainees from diverse backgrounds. Read More

New faculty share advice to their younger selves we can all learn from! Read More

Research from the lab of Bill Tansey and other collaborators tested protein inhibitors called WINi against a panel of cancer cells and found that they have strong action against blood cancers and synergize with an FDA-approved cancer drug. Read More

Meet some of our new faculty members and learn about their fascinating research. Read More

Hear from some of the newest faculty on why they're excited to work at Vanderbilt. Read More

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, Provost C. Cybele Raver and Faculty Senate Chair Alissa Hare, who is assistant dean of the College of Arts and Science, presented awards at this year’s Fall Faculty Assembly to 10 faculty members who have made significant contributions through their scholarship, research or creative expression. Read More

Research from Teru Nakagawa, professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, describes intricacies of normal brain function with implications for our understanding of brain injury and recovery: A decrease in pH can modify a neurotransmitter receptor’s structure, thereby modulating its location and kinetics. Read More

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health has renewed a five-year grant through the NIH’s flagship T32 institutional training grant program. T32 grants provide funding to support students and postdoctoral trainees working in focused areas of research that advance the NIH mission. Read More

Vanderbilt assistant professor of pharmacology Cody Siciliano has been awarded a $1.3 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to study oral chemesthesis, the burning sensation you feel in your mouth when you sip alcohol. Understanding this sensation better could lead to new treatments for alcohol use disorders, but research in this area is scarce. Read More

Infectious diseases pose a significant global health challenge, accounting for a substantial proportion of deaths worldwide, according to recent data from the World Health Organization. Vanderbilt’s Life Science Showcase: Advancing Innovation in Infectious Diseases held on July 18 emphasized the vital importance of advancing research and innovation to combat these persistent threats. Read More

Researchers from the School of Medicine Basic Sciences recently developed an analytical tool called EV Fingerprinting that could lead to the use of “liquid biopsies” as a substitute for traditional biopsies for certain patients or diseases. Read More

Richard Caprioli, Stanford Moore Professor of Biochemistry at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, is retiring from Vanderbilt in August 2024. Caprioli’s work has created new possibilities for understanding the relationships between molecular and cellular organization in tissue microenvironments, ultimately providing a precision medicine toolbox for uncovering the molecular underpinnings of normal aging and disease.Caprioli is best known for developing matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spec. Read More

Thirteen innovative projects across seven colleges and schools have been selected for the spring 2024 round of Seeding Success internal grants. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation announced the recipient list on May 31. Read More

Using computer-aided drug design, Heidi Hamm, Craig Lindsley, and Jens Meiler and their labs generated a novel series of biologically active compounds that can serve as a basis for anti–blood clot preventative drugs. Read More

Researchers in the lab of Stephen Fesik, Orrin H. Ingram II Chair in Cancer Research, have added BI-0474 as the second molecule co-discovered by Vanderbilt to the open science portal opnMe.com, an initiative being driven by biopharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. Read More

A Tri-Institutional Seminar series has been initiated by the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, Meharry Medical College and Fisk University, focused on trainee development and promoting collaboration and existing ties between scientists affiliated with all three institutions. The series is open to the public. Read More

Ken Lau, professor of cell and developmental biology, and colleagues have laid out the principles governing the biology of early, precancerous lesions, which are different from the principles that govern cancers. Their authoritative perspective was published in Cancer Discovery in April 2024. Read More

Clintoria Williams, associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Physiology at Wright State University, has received the John F. Perkins, Jr. Research Career Enhancement Award from the American Physiological Society. This will enable her to join Vanderbilt as a visiting scholar in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics for four months to collaborate more closely with Antentor Hinton Jr., assistant professor in the department. Read More

David Cortez, a world-renowned leader in DNA damage response and repair mechanisms and the pathophysiology of cancer, developed and applied highly creative technological approaches to identify and characterize proteins involved in DNA and genome maintenance. The Protein Society is the premier international society dedicated to supporting protein research. Read More