featured research

May 1, 2018

Looking beyond the ‘magic bullet’ approach to drug discovery

Vanderbilt scientists have developed a new process that can rapidly and inexpensively identify personalized cancer drugs derived from nature.

Elderly caucasian woman with her hands on a cane
February 12, 2018

‘Smart cane’ could one day help flag gait problems, falling risks more quickly

Falling is no joke when you’re a senior citizen or have other balance issues. Vanderbilt engineers are working on a ‘smart cane’ that could help physical therapists spot and treat problems sooner.

November 21, 2017

‘Mind’s eye blink’ proves ‘paying attention’ is not just a figure of speech

Vanderbilt psychologists have discovered that when you shift your attention from one place to another, your brain ‘blinks’—or experiences momentary gaps in perception.

November 20, 2017

Battery-switching device promises more road time for Tesla, Leaf drivers

A device out Vanderbilt’s engineering school reconfigures modules in electric car battery packs to be online or offline – depending on whether they’re going to pull down the other modules.

Adult bandaging a child's knee
October 3, 2017

Cell signals that trigger wound healing are surprisingly complex

Vanderbilt scientists have taken an important step toward understanding the way in which injured cells trigger wound healing, an insight essential for improving treatments of all types of wounds.

tiny petri dishes with wires in them
February 22, 2017

Organ-on-a-chip mimics heart’s biomechanical properties

Scientists at Vanderbilt University have created a three-dimensional organ-on-a-chip that can mimic the heart’s amazing biomechanical properties in order to study cardiac disease, develop heart drugs.