Department of Veterans Affairs

Heather Pua, MD, PhD, and Neil Sprenkle, PhD, have discovered a protective role for microRNAs in immune cell macrophages during obesity, potentially opening new therapeutic avenues.
September 5, 2023

MicroRNAs in immune cells help protect against metabolic defects in obesity: study

Vanderbilt researchers have demonstrated that a cluster of microRNAs — small pieces of RNA that regulate gene expression — work in a type of immune cells called macrophages to help protect against metabolic defects in obesity.

By Leigh MacMillan
May 18, 2023

Billing codes aid lupus diagnosis

Vanderbilt researchers used billing codes in electronic health records to develop a “phenotype risk score” that identified established and undiagnosed people with lupus.

By Bill Snyder
May 4, 2023

Tracking lung macrophages

A new technique will allow researchers to track subsets of immune cells that patrol and defend the lungs, to better understand the roles of these cells during lung inflammation, infection and injury.

By Leigh MacMillan
January 19, 2023

Low potassium injures kidney

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that low dietary potassium causes direct kidney injury, suggesting potential new targets for treating chronic kidney disease.

By Leigh MacMillan
The study team included, from left, Raymond Harris, MD, J.P. Arroyo, MD, PhD, and Gautam Bhave, MD, PhD.
January 5, 2023

VUMC researchers upend dogma about vasopressin production

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered that vasopressin, which has long been thought to be produced only in the brain, is also produced in the kidney.

By Leigh MacMillan
Craig Brooks, PhD, and colleagues are studying a molecular mechanism that promotes chronic kidney disease following kidney injury. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
December 15, 2022

Novel therapeutic target identified for chronic kidney disease

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered a molecular mechanism that promotes chronic kidney disease following kidney injury.

By Leigh MacMillan
October 6, 2022

Study finds that reducing intake of simple sugars improves GERD

A Vanderbilt study found that reducing dietary carbohydrates improved both symptoms and objective measurements of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in a randomized controlled trial.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 29, 2022

Policy, resources crucial for lung cancer screening: study

Vanderbilt reseach shows that resources for lung cancer screening programs increased the number of veterans screened.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 1, 2022

Study identifies key player in T cell “education”

New Vanderbilt research could inform therapeutic strategies for enhancing thymic function when desired — such as during aging, recovery from radiation therapy or chemotherapy, or other conditions that reduce T cell output.
By Leigh MacMillan
August 30, 2022

A new mechanism for lupus

Vanderbilt researchers describe a new mechanism for the most common form of lupus and suggest a new treatment approach to this autoimmune disease.
By Leigh MacMillan
August 25, 2022

Vanderbilt researchers discover how gut inflammation leads to bone loss

Gastrointestinal inflammation, such as occurs in inflammatory bowel disease, triggers the expansion of a population of “bone-eating” cells, leading to bone loss.
By Leigh MacMillan
August 25, 2022

Rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease: a common path

An increase in certain antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis can serve as a predictive biomarker for cardiovascular disease, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.
By Bill Snyder
August 25, 2022

Inflammatory driver of obesity

Blocking the EGF receptor signaling pathway in immune system macrophages represents a new target for improving insulin resistance in people with obesity.
By Sarah E. Glass