NCATS

Electrical circuit with various components interfaced with a brain
December 6, 2016

Blood-brain barrier on a chip sheds new light on “silent killer”

A new microfluidic device containing human cells that faithfully mimics the behavior of the blood-brain barrier is providing new insights into brain inflammation, the silent killer.

By VUMC News and Communications
November 23, 2016

Reducing antidepressants’ side effects

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered how antidepressant medicines that block serotonin uptake can increase bleeding risk.

By VUMC News and Communications
tug-of-rope pair
November 3, 2016

VUMC investigators find pathogens work together to infect host

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus — two pathogens that frequently co-infect the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis — appear to cooperate with each other, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered. When pseudomonas is starved for metal by the host, it shuts down the production of factors that would normally kill staph, promoting a co-infection.

By Leigh MacMillan
October 26, 2016

Single-cell study of tumor samples

A new method for analyzing cells in fixed biopsy tissues from patients by guide personalized treatment strategies for cancer.

By Leigh MacMillan
October 24, 2016

Sleep issues in children with diabetes

Lengthening sleep duration and reducing sleep disturbances in children with type 1 diabetes may improve diabetes outcomes and reduce parental stress.

By Leigh MacMillan
October 20, 2016

Preparing for a return of pox

To prepare for the potential of a smallpox return, Vanderbilt researchers are isolating and studying naturally occurring antibodies from the blood of previously infected or immunized people.

By Bill Snyder
October 20, 2016

Research sheds light on how RSV wards off potential vaccines

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of life-threatening viral pneumonia in infants worldwide, yet despite repeated efforts, scientists have been unable to develop an effective vaccine against it.
By Bill Snyder
September 13, 2016

Risk factors for delirium

High levels of blood markers for vascular endothelial dysfunction were associated with longer periods of confusion in ICU patients, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.
By Leigh MacMillan
August 29, 2016

Nervous system’s role in hypertension

Increased activity of the “fight or flight” nervous system contributes to obesity-associated hypertension and may be a good therapeutic target for the disease.
By Leigh MacMillan
August 25, 2016

Growth hormone for Prader-Willi

Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome who received growth hormone treatment had cognitive advantages compared to untreated patients.
By VUMC News and Communications
August 15, 2016

In search of new asthma therapies

A peptide molecule relaxes airway smooth muscle and may be a potential therapeutic for asthma that has become resistant to standard therapies.
By Leigh MacMillan
July 5, 2016

Vanderbilt establishes innovation center to boost demographic representation in clinical trial enrollment

Many clinical trials are stopped prematurely because they fail to recruit enough study participants. Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a five-year, $14 million grant from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health to address this.
By Bill Snyder
June 24, 2016

Superior scan for tumors

Imaging with a compound that binds to neuroendocrine cells is a safer and more effective way to detect rare neuroendocrine tumors.
By Bill Snyder