Genetics & Genomics Archive

September 27, 2024

Distant relatedness in biobanks harnessed to identify undiagnosed genetic disease

VUMC researchers have developed a genetic method that clusters distantly related people to find rare variants that were present in a common ancestor.

Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, and Nancy Cox, PhD. (photo by Donn Jones)
September 25, 2024

Alexander Bick named head of Genetic Medicine

Bick will succeed Nancy Cox, PhD, who has led Genetic Medicine since she came to VUMC in 2015. Genetic Medicine is one of 13 divisions in the Department of Medicine.

Co-principal investigators of the genomic-enabled learning health system coordinating center and clinical site are, front row from left, Carolyn Audet, PhD, Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, and Sunil Kripalani, MD, MSc, and, back row from left, Wesley Self, MD, MPH, Josh Peterson, MD, MPH, and Dan Roden, MD. (photo by Susan Urmy)
September 24, 2024

‘Learning’ network will help move genomics into the clinic

A real-world learning health system was established at VUMC a decade ago. Now, the National Human Genome Research Institute is awarding two five-year grants totaling $12 million to support VUMC’s participation in, and coordination of, a genomic-enabled learning health system (gLHS) network.

Melinda Aldrich, PhD, MPH
September 20, 2024

Melinda Aldrich elected to genetics society board of directors

Aldrich uses population-based cohorts and biobanks to investigate lung cancer; her research informed guidelines for lung cancer screening.

Venki Ramakrishnan, PhD
September 12, 2024

Nobel laureate to speak at VUMC on the ribosome and ‘why we die’

The subject of his Discovery Lecture, which will begin at 4 p.m. Sept. 26 in 208 Light Hall, is the role of ribosomes in initiating the translation of DNA into RNA, a precursor step to transcribing the genetic code into proteins that do the work of the cell.

August 13, 2024

$3.4 million research grant targets risk of heart attack, stroke

Making innovative use of observational data, researchers hope to gain new understanding of patient risk and identify existing drugs to lower risk.