Vanderbilt Institute for Infection Immunology and Inflammation

Little boy in green raincoat digging intently in mud puddle

Looking through MudPIT for protein interactions

Feb. 25, 2020—The identification of novel protein interactions and sites of modification in proteins involved in mRNA translation adds to understanding of a process that is an important therapeutic target.

Chemical element symbol for zinc from the periodic table

Zinc uptake by a deadly pathogen

Jan. 13, 2020—The increasingly antibiotic-resistant bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii requires zinc to cause infection, and Vanderbilt researchers have identified the zinc uptake system it uses.

Imaging host-pathogen battle for metal

Oct. 31, 2019—An unprecedented view of bacterial products within infected tissues opens new opportunities to explore infection biology and devise novel therapeutic strategies.

Pua lands NIH Director’s New Innovator Award

Oct. 1, 2019—Heather Pua, MD, PhD, one of 60 investigators to receive the 2019 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, will explore a novel type of cell signaling by RNAs in allergic airway inflammation.

Host-microbe interactions in the gut

Aug. 13, 2019—Vanderbilt investigators demonstrated that intestinal cells promote beneficial microbe behavior — the findings support developing microbiota-based therapies for intestinal health.

Intestinal immune cell interactions

Jul. 30, 2019—Understanding the roles of various immune cells that reside in the gut lining could shed light on inflammatory bowel diseases.

Meena Madhur, M.D., PhD Clinical Pharmacology and Cardiology VHVI Vanderbilt University Medical Center photo: Anne Rayner; Vanderbilt

Madhur receives Presidential Early Career Award

Jul. 18, 2019—Meena Madhur, MD, PhD, has received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

traffic barrier arm at commercial property entrance

Discovery of new “checkpoint” points to new cancer immunotherapy option

Feb. 21, 2019—An international team involving Vanderbilt researchers has discovered that a new “checkpoint” protein on immune system cells is active in tumors, and that blocking it — in combination with other treatments — is a successful therapeutic approach in mouse models of cancer.

Schematic image of viruses, billions of which are estimated to enter the cells in your intestine every day. Recent experiments at Vanderbilt University indicate that genes in viruses of bacteria (Wolbachia) can transfer to or from animals, and some virus genes hijack insect sperm to cause an infertility at the forefront of mosquito control efforts.

Six projects garner Microbiome Venture Fund awards

Aug. 14, 2018—Six faculty-led teams have received 2018 Microbiome Venture Fund awards to pursue projects related to the broad category of microbiomes—the totality of microbes in or on an environment.