Health and Medicine

January 5, 2017

Heart failure “dashboard”

A new computer algorithm developed at Vanderbilt could save billions of dollars in health care costs by identifying patients at risk for readmission after being hospitalized for heart failure.

By Sanjay Mishra
December 27, 2016

Investigational new drug for Alzheimer’s scheduled for first study in humans

Vanderbilt University scientists have received notification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that testing in humans may proceed for an investigational new drug for Alzheimer’s disease after more than 10 years of research by scientists at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

By Craig Boerner
baby with light blue eyes
December 22, 2016

Discovery sheds new light on Angelman, Prader-Willi syndromes

A mutation associated with epilepsy and autism also is responsible for a “pale eye” trait in two rare genetic disorders, Angelman syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome, neuroscientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center reported this week.

By Meredith Jackson
newborn baby
December 15, 2016

New clues emerge in rare form of childhood epilepsy

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) are one step closer to understanding what causes early-onset epileptic encephalopathy, a rare form of childhood epilepsy that is difficult to treat and has poor developmental outcomes.

By Bill Snyder
December 15, 2016

Babies born with opioid withdrawal disproportionately increasing in rural areas

An increasing number of newborns are being born with drug withdrawal symptoms from opioids in rural areas of the United States as compared to births in urban areas, according to a JAMA Pediatrics study.

By Craig Boerner
December 12, 2016

Vanderbilt earns top rankings, including a No. 1, for successful minority recruitment in master’s and Ph.D. programs

“Diverse: Issues In Higher Education” has ranked Vanderbilt University No. 1 in the country for the number of doctoral degrees awarded to African Americans in the biological and biomedical sciences.

By VUMC News and Communications
December 12, 2016

Single-cell analysis of solid tumors

A new method will make it possible to study solid tumors and healthy tissues using mass cytometry.
By Heather McCartney
December 9, 2016

Protecting the blood-brain barrier

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered how a promising cancer immunotherapy causes brain swelling, findings that could lead to ways to protect brain function while fighting cancers.
By Sanjay Mishra
December 8, 2016

Making human beta cells reproduce

A new method developed at Vanderbilt will speed the search for potential therapeutics for diabetes: compounds that stimulate the replication of insulin-producing beta cells.
By VUMC News and Communications
December 8, 2016

Plasmin prevents muscle ‘hardening’ after injury: study

Vanderbilt researchers have made the surprising discovery that the protease plasmin, known for its clot-busting role in the blood, protects soft tissue from turning to bone after severe injuries and certain orthopaedic surgeries.
By Leigh MacMillan
December 1, 2016

Basic Science Research Advisory Committee formed

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) has formed a new Basic Science Research Advisory Committee.
By John Howser
December 1, 2016

Study tests shorter antibiotic course in children

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) are leading a multicenter clinical trial to evaluate whether a shorter course of antibiotics — five days instead of 10 — is effective at treating community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children who show improvement after the first few days of taking antibiotics.
By Christina Echegaray
November 28, 2016

Rockefeller University’s Elaine Fuchs, Ph.D., named 2016 recipient of the Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science

Elaine Fuchs, Ph.D., whose innovative use of reverse genetics has helped redefine the study of skin diseases and cancer stem cells, is the recipient of the 2016 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science, officials at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) announced today.
By Bill Snyder