Basic Sciences

Cytokine-cognition connection

Targeting the immune system may provide a new avenue for therapeutic intervention in psychiatric diseases characterized by motivational and cognitive deficits.

Fat tissue’s “iron sink”

Alyssa Hasty and colleagues demonstrated that immune cells called macrophages act in fat tissue to store iron and prevent iron toxicity.

How microvilli form

A protein called IRTKS helps build the microvilli that form the border of cells in the intestines, explaining why the protein is a frequent target of gut pathogens.

Link between immune system, disease explored

The first Flexner Discovery Lecture of the academic year featured presentations by two Vanderbilt faculty members.

array of test tubes with pipette dropping fluid into one

Unleashing TIGER on small RNAs

Vanderbilt investigators have developed a new analytical tool to identify, quantify and analyze small RNAs.

A brain-builder called “Shh”

New findings demonstrate a previously unappreciated role of Shh signaling activity in the proliferation of CGNPs — the presumed cell-of-origin for a subset of the malignant pediatric brain tumor medulloblastoma.

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