Reporter
Four heart transplants performed in whirlwind 48 hours
Aug. 26, 2020—The Vanderbilt Transplant Center’s cardiac surgeons transplanted four hearts in one 48-hour stretch in August, thanks to VUMC’s perfusion and organ recovery teams traveling more than 4,000 miles across the country to obtain the donor organs.
StrategyShare2020 organizers rollout video to promote virtual format
Aug. 26, 2020—Planning for StrategyShare2020 was well underway when the pandemic forced the organizers to come up with a new structure for the annual event which in the past had showcased novel ideas and initiatives from throughout the Medical Center campus in one cohesive event.
Blocking tumor ‘signals’ and ‘fuel’
Aug. 25, 2020—Combining two drugs reduced colorectal cancer cell growth in vitro and in an animal model, suggesting the combination may be a promising treatment for patients.
New MCE Lounge offers additional space for relaxation during work breaks
Aug. 24, 2020—To offer employees more room to spread out and relax during their work breaks, Vanderbilt University Medical Center has built a new space for employees to eat and rejuvenate in a safe, socially distanced environment.
Event continues VUMC tradition of providing free hand surgeries
Aug. 24, 2020—For the fourth straight year, VUMC surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and support staff provided free surgeries for underinsured individuals with chronic upper extremity conditions such as carpel tunnel syndrome and cysts.
Land of plenty (of opioids)
Aug. 24, 2020—Surgical patients are being given more opioids than they need for postsurgical pain management, raising the risk of addiction.
VUMC awarded $34 million to lead nationwide convalescent plasma study
Aug. 21, 2020—Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been awarded a one-year, $34-million grant by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, to conduct a nationwide study of “convalescent plasma” as a treatment for COVID-19.
Salt, immune cells and hypertension
Aug. 20, 2020—Excess dietary salt activates immune cells to induce inflammation and hypertension, supporting current recommendations for low sodium consumption.
A “torque” for tumor blood vessels
Aug. 20, 2020—Vanderbilt scientists have discovered a new target for normalizing tumor blood vessels to improve cancer immunotherapies.
‘Scavenger’ molecule may point to new atherosclerosis treatment
Aug. 20, 2020—A small-molecule “scavenger” that reduces inflammation and formation of atherosclerotic plaque in blood vessels in mice potentially could lead to a new approach for treating atherosclerosis in humans, according to researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Kennedy Center receives grant to continue as IDDRC
Aug. 20, 2020—The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) has been awarded a $6.8 million, five-year grant to continue as a national Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC).
Study identifies antibodies that block alphaviruses
Aug. 20, 2020—Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified antibodies that, in animals, block infection by alphaviruses, which can cause chronic and debilitating joint pain and arthritis and are an increasing global health concern.
