Basic Sciences

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

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

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
Kareem Mohni, PhD, left, and David Cortez, PhD, have discovered a new DNA repair pathway that guards against genomic mutations.
February 28, 2019

Novel DNA repair mechanism preserves genome integrity: study

Biochemistry investigators at Vanderbilt have discovered a new DNA repair mechanism that prevents gene mutations during DNA replication.

By Leigh MacMillan
February 14, 2019

The yin and yang of cell signaling

Larry Marnett and colleagues have explored the role of two enzymes in metabolizing molecules associated with cell proliferation, inflammatory processes and neurological diseases.

By Sanjay Mishra
February 14, 2019

Modulating stress circuits

Danny Winder and colleagues demonstrate an interaction between two signaling pathways — and its impact on the activity of neurons that respond to stress.
By Leigh MacMillan
February 14, 2019

Adhesion protein optimizes border

Matthew Tyska and colleagues have found that an adhesion protein plays a key role in building the intestinal brush border that is essential for absorbing nutrients.
By Leigh MacMillan
January 31, 2019

New target for chronic kidney disease

Preventing the formation of secretory structures that promote scarring in the kidney could offer new therapeutic options for a disease that affects millions of people worldwide.
By Leigh MacMillan
January 31, 2019

Cell death pathway implicated in bone marrow failure

Vanderbilt investigators have linked a specific form of programmed cell death to myelodysplastic syndrome, a type of bone marrow failure.
By Leigh MacMillan
January 17, 2019

Signals from the “conveyor belt”

Vanderbilt researchers propose that cellular signaling pathways are amplified by a “conveyor belt” mechanism that exchanges active and inactive enzymes.
By Bill Snyder
January 17, 2019

DNA’s on/off switch

DNA-binding “switches” represent a fundamentally new method of communication between DNA-processing enzymes, Vanderbilt researchers propose.
By Bill Snyder
January 17, 2019

Building a pancreas

Vanderbilt investigators are defining the genetic programs that control the development of pancreatic beta cells — studies that could inform new cellular or regenerative therapies for diabetes.
By Leigh MacMillan