Reporter Dec 18 2020

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has a new weapon in the fight against COVID-19 — an investigational antibody treatment approved last month for emergency use in COVID-19 outpatients at high risk of developing severe disease or requiring hospital care.

A national study led by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has found that many patients who arrive at the emergency department (ED) with acute heart failure can be safely discharged with self-care guidance and frequent phone appointments, avoiding the need for hospitalization.

A team of Vanderbilt investigators has discovered that blocking a certain signaling pathway boosts antitumor immunity and reduces tumor growth and metastasis in models of breast cancer and melanoma.

Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Medicine, has announced the appointment of two longtime Vanderbilt faculty members to newly created vice chair roles in the department.

Daniel Muñoz, MD, MPA, associate professor of Medicine, has been named the new executive medical director of the Patient Care Center (PCC) at Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute (VHVI), effective Jan. 1, 2021.

This spring in the U.S., there were widespread delays in elective health care procedures and screenings. Hospitals, in observance of federal guidelines, were, for a time, conserving beds and protective equipment in preparation for a surge in COVID-19 admissions. And, perhaps on a more prolonged basis, patients in many areas of the country stayed away due to anxiety over catching COVID-19 from other patients or their health care team.

The first study to compare molecular landscapes of early-onset and late-onset appendiceal cancer has revealed distinct non-silent mutations in the tumors of younger patients, setting the stage for the development of potential therapeutic advances for this rare disease.