Author: Bill Snyder

VUMC mourns loss of renowned scientist Jane Park

Aug. 21, 2019—Jane Park, PhD, an active member of the Vanderbilt University faculty for 60 years and widow of pioneering diabetes researcher Charles Rawlinson “Rollo” Park, MD, died Aug. 19 in Nashville. She was 94.

Christian Meyer, right, a graduate student in the lab of Vito Quaranta, MD, left, received the 2019 Richard Armstrong Prize for Research Excellence last week during the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology Student Research Symposium. The prize is named for the late Richard Armstrong, PhD, professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry, who died in 2015. Meyer’s winning project was titled, “A consensus framework for calculating drug synergy.” Quaranta, professor of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, directs the Vanderbilt Quantitative Systems Biology Center.

Research excellence honored

Aug. 15, 2019—Graduate student Christian Meyer recently received the 2019 Richard Armstrong Prize for Research Excellence.

REDCap data management tool reaches million user mark

Aug. 15, 2019—Fifteen years after it was launched, REDCap, Vanderbilt University’s research data management tool, has reached 1 million users throughout the world.

All of Us Research Program Takes Aim at Precision Population Health

Aug. 14, 2019—Scarcely a year after its national launch, the “All of Us” research program, which aims to accelerate the prevention and treatment of disease, has enrolled more than 230,000 research participants — more than a fifth of its recruitment goal of 1 million people. All

New window on fibrosis

Aug. 8, 2019—A previously unrecognized role for a cell surface receptor may open new therapeutic options for the treatment of fibrotic diseases.

Undergrad conference explores physician-scientist’s path

Aug. 8, 2019—Physician-scientists are uniquely positioned to help solve some of the nation’s most formidable health challenges, Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, told college students from across the country last week during a conference hosted by VUMC.

New role for microtubules in diabetes

Jul. 29, 2019—Microtubules — part of the cell's cytoskeleton — regulate the secretion of insulin, suggesting that they may be a new target for treating diabetes.

Study ‘ignites’ link between genes and drug response

Jul. 25, 2019—A national study is seeking to determine whether genetic testing can help physicians choose the best drugs for their patients to relieve pain and depression.

Defective transporter linked to autism

Jul. 24, 2019—A first-of-its-kind mouse model may help reveal mechanistic underpinnings for the altered behaviors of autism spectrum disorder.

Major grant renews AIDS education, training initiative

Jul. 24, 2019—VUMC has been awarded a five-year, nearly $23 million federal grant to continue coordinating AIDS education and training efforts in Tennessee and seven other southeastern states.

Rasmussen named Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar

Jul. 18, 2019—Megan Rasmussen, a PhD student in Cell and Developmental Biology, has been selected as the 2019 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar.

Effort seeks to improve safety of drugs given during pregnancy

Jul. 18, 2019—A 19-year-old student is leading a multi-institutional collaboration to identify drugs that can be prescribed safely to pregnant women without harming the fetus.