Vanderbilt Genetics Institute Archives
After 40 years, genetics still surprises VUMC’s Nancy Cox
Nov. 10, 2023—As she looks back on her 40-plus year career, what surprises Nancy Cox, PhD, an internationally known geneticist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is how much progress has been made, and yet how much more there is to learn about the role genetic variation plays in human disease.
Research fellowship for genetic counselors established at Vanderbilt
Oct. 3, 2023—Vanderbilt University School of Medicine has received a grant to establish a research fellowship for genetic counselors that will prepare them to contribute more fully to the advancement of personalized medicine.
New “DNA” podcast season explores how to harness change, ideas to improve business and medicine
Oct. 2, 2023—Go to your favorite podcast channel right now to subscribe and listen to the first episode of Season 4!
Nancy Cox receives American Society of Human Genetics Leadership Award
Jul. 26, 2023—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.
Neural networks probe proteins
May. 9, 2023—A machine learning method based on neural networks outperformed a mutational scanning model at identifying disease-causing mutations in an Alzheimer’s disease protein, suggesting the method could be useful for facilitating therapeutic design.
Genetics and chronic pain
Apr. 20, 2023—Polygenic risk scores — scores that reflect the influence of common genetic variants — could be used to predict the likelihood of developing chronic overlapping pain conditions and guide biomarker and targeted prevention efforts.
Inflammation implicated in exfoliation syndrome
Mar. 28, 2023—Computational genetics tools have implicated inflammatory pathways in exfoliation syndrome, the most common cause of secondary glaucoma, which can result in blindness.
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative grant supports single-cell study of rare inherited disease
Jan. 12, 2023—A multidisciplinary team led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigator Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, has been awarded a $2 million, four-year grant to study inflammation at the single-cell level in the rare disease RUNX1-FPD.
Researchers develop framework for multiancestry genomic studies
Dec. 8, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers have developed a framework for the analysis of multiancestry, large-scale genomic studies across multiple biobanks.
Genetics and blood pressure
May. 19, 2022—Including polygenic risk scores for blood pressure may improve predictive models to identify people at risk for treatment-resistant hypertension.
Gene network linked to Type 2 diabetes
May. 5, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers used a novel analytical approach to identify a network of genes associated with Type 2 diabetes, including 31 genes that had not previously been associated with the disease.
Calculating risk for uterine fibroids
Apr. 26, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers have constructed a polygenic risk score for uterine fibroids that will be useful for exploring causes of these benign tumors and identifying novel drug targets and therapies.