molecular physiology and biophysics

April 23, 2018

Toxin floats on lipid rafts

The bacterium H. pylori is a leading cause of stomach cancer, and Vanderbilt researchers are studying how one of its toxins gets into cells.

By Leigh MacMillan
April 12, 2018

Nobel laureate Kobilka’s talk explores receptor activation

Brian Kobilka, MD, who received the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his studies of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), shared his team’s progress in understanding receptor activation — and how that might guide drug development — at last week’s Flexner Discovery Lecture.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 29, 2018

Nobel laureate Kobilka set to deliver Flexner Discovery Lecture on April 5

Brian Kobilka, MD, who shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his studies of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on April 5.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 23, 2018

Voluntary exercise and energy balance

Non-exercise physical activity has a measurable energy expenditure, which goes down when animals engage in voluntary exercise, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.

By Leigh MacMillan
February 15, 2018

Noted neuroscientist Gouaux set for Discovery Lecture

Eric Gouaux, PhD, whose work has helped reveal the molecular mechanisms by which nerve cells communicate, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture Thursday, Feb. 22.

By Bill Snyder
Networked dots in the shape of a brain
February 8, 2018

Study helps map signaling system in brain linked to ASD

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have worked out part of the “wiring diagram” of a signaling system in the brain that has been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

By Bill Snyder
January 25, 2018

A cataract-heart connection

Studies of alpha-B crystallin in zebrafish could ultimately lead to improved treatment for cataracts and heart disease.
By Meredith Jackson
January 25, 2018

Study may point to new ways to reverse insulin resistance

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered how insulin crosses the capillary endothelium to exit blood vessels and stimulate skeletal muscle cells — a major finding that may lead to new ways to reverse insulin resistance, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes.
By Bill Snyder
December 19, 2017

Forming memories through CaMKII

Vanderbilt researchers have identified an interaction between two proteins that play a role in learning and memory.
By Sanjay Mishra
November 13, 2017

Salt, inflammation and hypertension

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a pathway that links excess sodium, inflammation and hypertension.
By Leigh MacMillan
July 24, 2017

How Epo action is ‘enhanced’

The hormone erythropoietin (Epo) controls red blood cell production and synthetic forms of Epo treat multiple disorders. New Vanderbilt research details how Epo works.
By Bill Snyder
June 22, 2017

VU scientists report a way to calm the sepsis “storm”

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have found a way to calm the “genomic storm” that triggers the often-lethal consequences of sepsis.
By Bill Snyder
April 20, 2017

Grant bolsters Nakagawa’s research on autism, other brain disorders

Terunaga Nakagawa, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, has received a two-year, $100,000 grant from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation to continue his studies of the molecular underpinnings of autism and other brain disorders.
By Bill Snyder