NIH funding

November 2, 2017

Liquid biopsies help reveal lung cancer mutations

Cancer investigators led by researchers at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) have co-developed a liquid biopsy blood-based assay used to identify specific gene mutations associated with the development or relapse of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

By VUMC News and Communications
October 26, 2017

Team to develop steerable robotic needle for biopsies

Collaboration between a mechanical engineer at Vanderbilt University and a pulmonologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has resulted in a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grant that will be used to develop a steerable robotic needle to safely biopsy hard-to-reach lung nodules.

By Kathy Whitney
October 12, 2017

VIGH receives federal grants to fight kidney disease

Researchers in the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH) have received two new grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) aimed at reducing the risk of kidney disease in HIV-infected adults and improving the treatment of epilepsy in children in Nigeria.

By Bill Snyder
September 21, 2017

Excess dietary manganese increases risk of staph infection in heart

Too much dietary manganese — an essential trace mineral found in leafy green vegetables, fruits and nuts — promotes infection of the heart by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (“staph”).

By Leigh MacMillan
September 7, 2017

Study reveals how brain processes spatial hearing information

Scientists have known that the brain detects where sound comes from based on a couple of major cues — when the sound hits each ear (interaural time difference) and what the sound level is when it does (interaural level difference.) Less is known, however, about where and how that spatial hearing information is processed in the brain.

By Matt Batcheldor
July 20, 2017

Study identifies protein’s role in chemotherapy resistance

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have discovered a protein that may lead to a new way to prevent resistance and improve outcomes for patients whose cancers have mutations in the tumor suppressor gene BRCA2.

By Bill Snyder
July 20, 2017

Immune responses linked to cell’s recycling system

Autophagy is the cellular equivalent of trash pickup and recycling — it is a process by which proteins, protein aggregates and damaged cellular organelles are degraded in order to reuse nutrients and promote cellular metabolism.
By Bill Snyder
June 29, 2017

Team investigates antiviral that inhibits SARS, MERS

A new antiviral drug candidate inhibits a broad range of coronaviruses, including the SARS and MERS coronaviruses, a multi-institutional team of investigators reports this week in Science Translational Medicine.
By Leigh MacMillan
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
June 8, 2017

VUMC lands renewal of Clinical and Translational Science Award

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has competed successfully for a second renewal of its Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
By Bill Snyder
May 25, 2017

Study reveals role for stem cells in chronic lung diseases

A novel population of lung stem cells plays an important role in regulating the pulmonary microvasculature — the network of tiny blood vessels where oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange takes place.
By Leigh MacMillan
April 13, 2017

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine moves to eighth in NIH research funding

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) now ranks No. 8 in the nation among U.S. medical schools in total grant support provided through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The new ranking raises VUSM’s standing two spots from the No. 10 position it held last year.
By John Howser
March 23, 2017

Study takes 3-D perspective on colorectal cancer

Despite dramatic recent advances in treatment, colorectal cancer killed more than 49,000 Americans last year, according to the National Cancer Institute, making it the second most lethal malignancy after cancers of the lung and bronchus.
By Bill Snyder