Research
Probing pathogen antibiotic resistance
Sep. 17, 2020—Understanding how bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics and host stresses could guide the development of more effective antimicrobial therapeutics.
New predictors of prostate cancer risk
Sep. 17, 2020—An international group of researchers including Vanderbilt epidemiologists has identified new DNA methylation biomarkers associated with prostate cancer risk.
Award supports integration of genomic data, electronic health records
Sep. 10, 2020—Eric Gamazon, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine, has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop novel computational tools that integrate functional genomic data and electronic health records.
VUMC to lay groundwork for Tennessee’s first federally funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
Sep. 10, 2020—Angela Jefferson, PhD, professor of Neurology and director of the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, has been awarded a $3.7 million, three-year grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to support establishment of a prospective NIA-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Fibroids and birth outcomes
Sep. 8, 2020—Women with three or more uterine fibroids — non-cancerous growths — during pregnancy are more likely to have infants with reduced birthweight and may need additional surveillance.
Possible key to COVID-19 infectivity
Sep. 7, 2020—New findings demonstrate how genetic variations in the receptor that binds SARS-CoV-2 impact virus recognition and infectivity and offer insights to COVID-19 susceptibility and treatment.
New clue to Alzheimer’s disease
Sep. 3, 2020—Combining studies of genetically diverse mouse populations and human data led to the identification of a gene associated with cognitive decline and brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease.
Assembling cell power plant machinery
Sep. 3, 2020—Tina Iverson and colleagues provide a structural view into the assembly of a protein machine essential for cellular energy production.
Study to track if COVID can spread during minimally invasive surgery
Aug. 27, 2020—Physician-scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are investigating whether SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can be spread through aerosolized emissions (microscopic droplets and particles) during minimally invasive surgery in children.
Study uses AI to sort patient messages by complexity
Aug. 27, 2020—Taking an interest in electronic message threads between surgical patients and their health care teams, a research group at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has tested how well certain commonly used machine learning algorithms can classify such exchanges according to their clinical decision-making complexity.
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.
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.
