pathology microbiology and immunology

January 5, 2015

Vanderbilt-led team studies blood test for prostate cancer

Vanderbilt University researcher William Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues in Germany and Canada have demonstrated a method for detecting “cell-free” tumor DNA in the bloodstream.

By Bill Snyder
December 17, 2014

Target for atherosclerosis therapies

A newly identified “atheroprotective” gene is a tool for exploring plaque pathophysiology and may be a good target for therapies to slow atherosclerosis progression.

By Leigh MacMillan
December 11, 2014

Bacterial secretion machinery: 3-D view

New structural findings reveal how “gatekeeper” proteins participate in the secretion systems bacteria use to infect host cells.

By Leigh MacMillan
December 4, 2014

Physician-scientist is dream job for Vanderbilt’s Cassat

Jim Cassat, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatric infectious disease specialist who joined the Vanderbilt faculty this summer, loves taking care of children with bone infections and doing research to understand the host-pathogen interactions during these invasive infections.

By Leigh MacMillan
November 24, 2014

Twelve Vanderbilt faculty elected AAAS fellows

Twelve members of Vanderbilt’s faculty have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for their “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.”

By Bill Snyder
November 21, 2014

Host sequesters zinc to control stomach bug

Understanding how zinc and the host’s immune response control H. pylori’s cancer-causing potential could suggest new therapeutic strategies to reduce infection and cancer risk.

By Leigh MacMillan
October 16, 2014

Staph ‘gangs’ share nutrients during infection: study

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can share resources to cause chronic infections, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered. The findings shed light on a long-standing question in infectious diseases and may inform new treatment strategies.
By Leigh MacMillan
October 16, 2014

Lymphocyte study reveals obesity clues

Vanderbilt University researchers are closer to understanding the link between obesity, chronic inflammation and type 2 diabetes.
By Bill Snyder
September 25, 2014

A path to sarcoidosis treatment

Vanderbilt investigators identify a new therapeutic target for the inflammatory lung disease sarcoidosis.
By VUMC News and Communications
September 3, 2014

Aggressive bone cancers build more blood vessels

A subpopulation of bone cancer cells may be responsible for driving clinically aggressive behavior, suggesting new treatment options.
By Katherine Venmar
August 28, 2014

Ascano seeks to shed light on cellular stress response

Ebola. Chikungunya. Influenza. What’s to be done about these headline-grabbing, debilitating, often lethal viruses?
By Bill Snyder
July 31, 2014

Cassat lands Burroughs Wellcome Fund award

James Cassat, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics and Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, has received a Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) Career Award for Medical Scientists.
By Leigh MacMillan
July 31, 2014

New target for breast cancer therapy

The protein MTBP is overexpressed in an aggressive type of breast cancer, and it regulates another protein implicated in many cancer types, suggesting that it may be a good target for new therapeutics.
By Leigh MacMillan