Caitlin Lovejoy Fund

From left, J.Court Reese, Stephanie Moore-Lotridge, PhD, Breanne Gibson, PhD, and Jonathan Schoenecker, MD, PhD, are discovering ways to prevent adverse outcomes in orthopaedic surgery.
January 19, 2022

Study identifies molecular trigger of severe injury-induced inflammatory response

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that early inappropriate activation of the enzyme plasmin caused by severe injury is a trigger of systemic inflammatory response syndrome and resulting organ failure.

By Leigh MacMillan
February 23, 2021

Calcification after severe injury

Vanderbilt researchers have linked bone-related complications of severely injured patients — findings that could help minimize these complications.

By Emily Stembridge
April 11, 2019

Keeping bone in its place

Jonathan Schoenecker and colleagues have discovered a new mechanism for the formation of bone in soft tissues — a complication of severe injuries that causes pain and limits mobility.

By Anivarya Kumar
window in the process of freezing over
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
August 13, 2015

VUMC study shifts thinking on how bone fractures heal

New findings show that fibrin, a protein that was thought to play a key role in fracture healing, is not required, shifting understanding of how fractures heal.

By Leigh MacMillan