inflammasome

The study team included, from left, Mohammad Saleem, PhD, Lale Ertuglu, MD, Annet Kirabo, PhD, and Ashley Pitzer, PhD.

Researchers discover how salt increases blood pressure

A Vanderbilt research team has discovered that activation of a certain protein complex involved in the inflammatory response in immune cells contributes to salt-sensitive hypertension.

C. Henrique Serezani, PhD, right, and colleagues, from left, Amondrea Blackman, Nathan Klopfenstein and Júlia Miranda Ribeiro Bazzano are studying the early events of the inflammatory response to infection.

Study details early events of inflammatory response

Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have identified a key molecular player in the early events of the inflammatory response to infection. The findings suggest new therapeutic possibilities for enhancing the inflammatory response to protect against pathogens and for blocking inflammation gone awry in diseases like arthritis and atherosclerosis.