School Of Medicine Basic Sciences

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

Meet members of the Class of 2024 with a unique passion and perspective on how to live out the Dare to Grow motto. Read More

After a rigorous nomination and review process, Vanderbilt University professors -- Jada Benn Torres, David Cliffel, Volker Haase, Janet Macdonald, Xiao-Ou Shu, Keith Wilson and Zheng Wei -- were named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Read More

The lab of Tina Iverson, Louise B. McGavock Professor and professor of pharmacology, in collaboration with researchers at the University of California, San Francisco; Stanford University; and The Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have published new work in Nature Microbiology, providing new insights on chemotaxis. Read More

Molecular biologist Emily Hodges, assistant professor of biochemistry, studies the regulatory elements of our genome and is interested in parsing how changes in DNA sequence affect gene regulation. Read More

The distinguished faculty members and deans representing eight colleges and schools were presented with medallions that symbolize the attainment of their positions and will become part of their official academic regalia. Chair holders contribute their expertise to real-world challenges, including climate change, political inequality and access to justice, artificial intelligence and ICU trauma.   Read More

The lab of Antentor O. Hinton Jr., assistant professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, came together with collaborators from across Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the U.S., and Brazil to determine the differences in the 3D morphology of mitochondria and their cristae in brown adipose tissue. Read More

Brandt Eichman and Walter Chazin, professors of biochemistry, have worked together to provide a better understanding of how exactly DNA replication is initiated in eukaryotes. Using Vanderbilt’s state-of-the-art instrumentation in the Center for Structural Biology’s Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility, Eichman, Chazin and their colleagues provided detailed visualizations of a multi-functional protein in action, which sheds light on how DNA replication is initiated in humans. Read More

Join the next Lab-to-Table conversation, “Biotech Entrepreneurship: Stories & Strategies” on March 26 at 11 a.m. CT. Read More

WATCH: See how Ph.D. candidate Kaitlyn Browning wants to fight miscommunication and misinformation around science. Read More

Join the next Lab-to-Table conversation, “Picturing Progress: Representation in Scientific Art” on Feb. 20 at 11:00 a.m. Read More