Basic Sciences

A C. diff bacterium (green) with iron particles in red, shown in a reconstructed electron tomogram from STEM-EDS. (image courtesy of James McBride)

Novel C. diff structures are required for infection, offer new therapeutic targets

Vanderbilt research discovers that iron storage “spheres” inside the bacterium C. diff — the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections — are important for infection in an animal model and could offer new targets for antibacterial drugs.

Artificial intelligence innovator John Jumper to deliver Aug. 30 Apex Lecture

John Jumper, who led the development of AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence system that can predict the three-dimensional structure of proteins, will give the next Apex Lecture on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

skin cross section

A critical skin enzyme

Detailed studies of the enzymatic properties of PNPLA1 support the requirement for this protein in skin barrier formation.

Better adenoma detection

Fluorescent nanoparticles clearly identified colonic adenomas — precursors to colorectal cancer — in mice, and the formulation should translate to clinical use in humans.

Novel drugs have potential for treating tuberculosis

Drug-resistant tuberculosis is on the rise, and novel antibacterial drugs called SPTs have potential for treating the deadly lung infection.

Decoding cell division machinery

Phosphate modification regulates the cell localization of Cdc15, one of the main controllers of cell division, to fine tune the assembly of cell division machinery.

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