Research
Integrin curbs cancer’s spread
Feb. 16, 2011—Cell surface molecules called integrins have been found to play an important role when cancer metastasizes.
Fluorine aids gene silencing
Feb. 15, 2011—Modifying a form of RNAs may improve their efficacy for research and medical uses.
Vanderbilt-pioneered fetal surgery procedure yields positive results
Feb. 9, 2011—Results of a landmark, seven-year National Institutes of Health-funded trial, Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS), demonstrate clear benefit for babies who undergo fetal surgery to treat spina bifida, the most common birth defect in the central nervous system.
Seeing serotonin neurons in action
Feb. 9, 2011—Serotonin – a chemical that has roles in multiple brain functions, including mood, sleep and cognition – is manufactured by clusters of brainstem neurons gathered in the raphé nuclei. A reliable, non-invasive imaging method for assessing raphé neuron activity would be valuable for understanding serotonin signaling in depression and related conditions. Using functional magnetic resonance...
Protein related to aging holds breast cancer clues
Feb. 1, 2011—The most common type of breast cancer in older women – estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER/PR) positive breast cancer – has been linked to a protein that fends off aging-related cellular damage. A new study led by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center researcher David Gius now shows how a deficiency in this aging-associated protein may set the...
Breast cancer patients with strong social network live longer
Jan. 31, 2011—Breast cancer patients who have a strong social support system in the first year after diagnosis are less likely to die or have a recurrence of cancer, according to new research from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and the Shanghai Institute of Preventive Medicine. The study, led by first author Meira Epplein, assistant professor of medicine, was...
Seven Vanderbilt University Faculty Honored by AAAS Scientific Society
Jan. 12, 2011—Seven Vanderbilt University faculty members have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an honor bestowed upon them by their AAAS peers. They are among 503 AAAS members from around the country who achieved this honor because of their distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. The newest AAAS...
Aliquots – VUMC research highlights
Jan. 6, 2011—RSV prefers stressed cells “Stress granules” – globs of proteins and RNAs – form inside cells in response to environmental stressors and are thought to regulate protein production. Several viruses induce stress granule formation, but the function of these structures during virus replication is not well understood. James Crowe Jr., M.D., and colleagues report that...
New Comprehensive Care Center at One Hundred Oaks feels like home to its first patient
Dec. 1, 2010—Loren Antes, 41, was dying to stay alive – literally. Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1987, Antes was subjected to a pharmaceutical regime that just about killed him. Each day he faced a decision of whether to ingest the 24 pills that were designed to keep the virus that causes AIDS at bay or to just...
Vanderbilt medical researchers, engineers play major role in new national center established to secure the privacy of electronic health information
May. 28, 2010—Slowly but steadily the U.S. health care community is moving into the digital age: shifting their medical records from paper to electronic information systems. This movement raises serious concerns about security and privacy of patients’ medical information.
How cancer cells lose their (circadian) rhythm
May. 10, 2010— Immortality and uncontrolled cell division are the fundamental differences between cancer cells and normal cells.
Human cells exhibit foraging behavior like amoebae and bacteria
Mar. 11, 2010—When cells move about in the body, they follow a complex pattern similar to that which amoebae and bacteria use when searching for food, a team of Vanderbilt researchers have found.
