Vanderbilt Genetics Institute

The grant will prepare genetic counselors to contribute more fully to the advancement of personalized medicine. Nancy Cox, Ph.D., who directs the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute and the Division of Genetic Medicine, and Martha Dudek, M.S. CGC, director of the Vanderbilt Master of Genetic Counseling program, will serve as co-principal investigators. Read More

Nancy Cox, PhD, director of the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, is the recipient of the 2023 ASHG Leadership Award from the American Society of Human Genetics. Read More

Amanda Lea, assistant professor of biological sciences, has been named to the 2022–24 cohort of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Azrieli Global Scholars in recognition of her outstanding early-career research and interdisciplinary work. Lea’s research interests span evolutionary biology, genomics and human health.  Read More

Amanda Lea, assistant professor of biological sciences, has been named a 2022 Searle Scholar, an honor bestowed on 15 exceptional young faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry. Lea will receive $300,000 in flexible funding to support her work over the next three years. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have found that children with a genetic makeup that predicts high blood pressure as adults are more likely to survive congenital heart defect repair surgery. Read More

A massive worldwide collaboration including researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has identified several genetic factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 illness. Read More

Fluid build-up in the brain — hydrocephalus — increases pressure and risk for brain damage; Vanderbilt researchers have now identified genes and signaling pathways associated with the condition. Read More

Racial disparities in hypertension risk are due in part to genetic differences between ancestries, Vanderbilt investigators find in a study of participants in the Million Veteran Program. Read More

The Vanderbilt Data Science Institute and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute will co-host a regional Women in Data Science virtual conference on Monday, March 8. The event will broadcast WiDS Worldwide America events—including keynote speakers, Technical Vision Talks and a panel on paths to leadership—from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT. Read More

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 More

Women with three or more uterine fibroids — non-cancerous growths — during pregnancy are more likely to have infants with reduced birthweight and may need additional surveillance. Read More

Combining studies of genetically diverse mouse populations and human data led to the identification of a gene associated with cognitive decline and brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease. Read More

Electronic health records and biobanks can be effectively combined to detect and study Mendelian diseases such as cystic fibrosis. Read More

An international research team has discovered a new genetic syndrome caused by mutation of a single gene and named it CATIFA, an acronym for its core symptoms. Read More

The Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative seeks to position the university as a global leader in evolutionary studies by engaging a large group of scholars who share this research interest. Read More

Using a unique computational framework they developed, a team of scientist cyber-sleuths in the Vanderbilt University Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute has identified 104 high-risk genes for schizophrenia. Read More

An international team of researchers led by Eric Gamazon has integrated gene expression and disease association data to better understand the biological mechanisms of complex human diseases. Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is one of four centers receiving a $15 million, four-year research award from the American Heart Association (AHA) to provide cutting-edge research on obesity as part of its sixth Strategically Focused Research Network (SFRN). Read More

Nancy Cox, Ph.D., founding director of the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Dec. 17. Read More

Nancy J. Cox, Ph.D., professor of Medicine and Human Genetics and chief of the Section of Genetic Medicine at the University of Chicago, has been appointed founding director of a new genetics institute at Vanderbilt University, effective Jan. 1, 2015. Read More