Health and Medicine

April 15, 2014

Anthrax bacteria’s signaling systems

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a new signaling system that anthrax bacteria uses to infect its host.

By Leigh MacMillan
April 11, 2014

Myelin junctions key to conduction

A protein in the myelin coating on nerves helps form a “seal” that enables effective nerve conduction; loss of the protein causes inherited neuropathies.

By Leigh MacMillan
April 10, 2014

Study tracks new lung cancer drug target

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have identified a potential new drug target in subtypes of lung cancer that are difficult to treat.

By Bill Snyder
Insulin in vials
April 10, 2014

Matrix remodeling and insulin resistance

The extracellular matrix that surrounds cells plays a role in the development of insulin resistance.

By Will Fry
April 3, 2014

DBS for Parkinson’s trial moves to next level

A long-term Vanderbilt University Medical Center study of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in early-stage Parkinson’s disease has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue in a pivotal, phase III, large-scale safety and efficacy trial.

By VUMC News and Communications
April 3, 2014

Protein’s role in spread of colon cancer studied

One of the most formidable weapons in a cancer’s arsenal is the ability to spread to other organs.

By VUMC News and Communications
April 3, 2014

Grant aids search for Restless Legs Syndrome treatment

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been selected as one of three sites to share a three-year, $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore the potential therapeutic properties of manganese, a chemical element and biologically essential trace mineral, in treating Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).
By VUMC News and Communications
April 2, 2014

VU study tracks urinary incontinence therapy

More than 15 million women in the United States are impacted by stress urinary incontinence (SUI) at a cost of nearly $20 billion a year to treat.
By Jessica Pasley
April 2, 2014

Development and disease in the aorta

Smooth muscle cells that line the aorta differ in development but not in the adult, a finding that has implications for understanding aortic development and disease.
By Peng Xu
March 31, 2014

E-records shed light on drug response

Electronic medical records linked to DNA biobanks are a valid resource for defining and understanding the genetic factors that contribute to drug response.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 28, 2014

Mapping brain circuitry

Vanderbilt investigators have used two types of neuroimaging to establish a “map” of connections for a brain region important in anxiety and addiction.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 27, 2014

Gut woes of preemies focus of microbiome effort

A multidisciplinary team of microbiome researchers at Vanderbilt University is shedding light on necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a disease of prematurity that kills hundreds of babies and costs the U.S. health care system an estimated $5 billion a year.
By Bill Snyder
March 27, 2014

Grant bolsters patient-centered outcomes research

Patient-centered outcomes research is the focus of a $3.3 million, five-year, institutional K12 training grant awarded to Vanderbilt University Medical Center by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
By Craig Boerner