Research

bacteria microbiome
April 11, 2019

How bugs overcome host defenses

Vanderbilt researchers led by Eric Skaar are probing the mechanisms bacteria use when faced with nutrient starvation — a host defense strategy called “nutritional immunity.”

By Leigh MacMillan
March 28, 2019

Cancer’s SOS

Stephen Fesik and colleagues are advancing cancer drug discovery with the characterization of small molecules that modulate RAS, an important target for anti-cancer therapies.

By Sanjay Mishra
March 28, 2019

Cardiac dysfunction in DMD

The protein MMP7 is elevated in blood from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who have cardiac dysfunction, suggesting that it may be a biomarker for heart disease severity.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 28, 2019

Drug interaction causes hypotension

A muscle relaxing-drug and inhibitors of the metabolic enzyme CYP1A2 interact to cause severely low blood pressure and should not be co-prescribed, Vanderbilt investigators caution.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 28, 2019

Unraveling endocytosis

New discoveries by Jason MacGurn and colleagues further understanding of the complex machinery that cells use take up substances from outside the cell.

By VUMC News and Communications
March 14, 2019

New way to stimulate learning?

Vagus nerve stimulation could be beneficial for treating Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive impairment, Vanderbilt research findings suggest.

By Bill Snyder
March 14, 2019

Correctly copying DNA

A precise understanding of how the enzyme topoisomerase II cuts DNA could lead to better anti-cancer therapies.
By Sanjay Mishra
March 14, 2019

Exploring the brain’s white matter

New comprehensive functional MRI measurements point to the need to update models for assessing brain white matter activity and physiology.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 14, 2019

Reprogramming cells for kidney repair

Using gene transfer technologies to reprogram adult human kidney cells could lead to novel therapies for chronic kidney disease.
By Kelsey Herbers
February 28, 2019

Lighting up colorectal cancer

A nanobeacon imaging agent that binds specifically to colorectal cancer cells may aid the early detection of cancer during colonoscopy.
By Leigh MacMillan
February 28, 2019

Achilles’ heel for kidney cancer

The discovery that kidney cells with mutations in a certain gene are sensitive to therapies called PI3K inhibitors opens new opportunities for applying precision medicine to cancer treatment.
By VUMC News and Communications
February 28, 2019

Personalized pain management

Understanding how natural brain chemicals with pain-relieving properties interact with administered opioids may guide personalized approaches for pain management.
By Niyati Vachharajani
February 28, 2019

Protein loss promotes cell migration

The protein kinase STK17A plays a novel role in epithelial cells and its loss may contribute to colorectal cancer invasion and metastasis, Vanderbilt researchers report.
By Leigh MacMillan