john york

Cortez named interim chair of the Department of Biochemistry; York named Impossible Foods chief science officer

David Cortez, PhD, Richard N. Armstrong Professor of Innovation in Biochemistry and professor of biochemistry, has been named interim chair in the Department of Biochemistry beginning Jan. 1, 2021.

A dual-purpose metabolic switch

John York and colleagues have demonstrated that the protein Vip1 is a rare type of bifunctional enzyme: it can both synthesize and destroy key cellular signaling molecules.

Iron-sulfur “intersection”

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered an unanticipated link between sulfur and iron balance, pointing to a genetic basis for iron-deficiency anemia.

Basic science, extraordinary impact

The discoveries that can change the course of human health forever often begin in the tiniest places: in molecules and cells, at the most fundamental intersection of physics, chemistry and biology. Understanding how these cellular and molecular processes work is the focus of basic biomedical research at Vanderbilt.