BioVU

April 2, 2025

New gene discoveries target uterine fibroids

The research is another step toward development of targeted therapies aimed at reducing the incidence and medical burden of this common condition.

By Bill Snyder
December 18, 2024

VUMC part of multisite team investigating genetic markers of anorexia nervosa

With funding from the newly established Sarah Kyle Anorexia Nervosa Research Foundation, the researchers hope to identify biomarkers that will point to novel targets for prevention and treatment.

By Leigh MacMillan
October 30, 2024

Genetic risk, sexual trauma associated with mental illness: study

Evaluating how genetic risk interacts with environmental risk factors such as sexual trauma is important for understanding how mental illness develops and identifying high-risk groups for early intervention.

By Leigh MacMillan
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.

By Leigh MacMillan
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.

By Paul Govern
June 25, 2024

Gene variant may underlie diabetes disparities: study

The study was the largest ancestry-stratified, genetic estimation of the heritability of diabetic retinopathy conducted to date and included an unprecedented number of individuals of non-Hispanic African ancestry — more than 46,000.

By Bill Snyder
June 3, 2024

Genetic variation associated with low white blood cell count impacts clinical decisions

People whose white blood cell levels are near the edge of the “healthy” reference range will hit a clinical decision point that has consequences such as diagnostic procedures and altered treatments.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 15, 2024

Treatment-resistant depression linked to body mass index: study

Genetic factors are a small but significant contributor to severe depression that does not respond to standard therapy, according to researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital.
By Bill Snyder
May 1, 2024

Study finds 500 new blood pressure genes

An analysis of the genomes of more than 1 million people of European ancestry, conducted by several of the world’s leading genomic centers, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has identified more than 2,000 independent genetic signals for blood pressure.
By Bill Snyder
March 26, 2024

Beethoven’s genes reveal low predisposition for beat synchronization

What the exceptional composer's DNA tells us about genetics
By Craig Boerner
February 21, 2024

International genetic study of glaucoma implicates vascular and cancer-related genes

An international genetic study using multiancestry biobanks has identified novel genetic locations associated with primary open-angle glaucoma, the most common type of glaucoma and the leading cause of irreversible blindness globally.
By Leigh MacMillan
January 5, 2024

The Alliance for Genomic Discovery welcomes Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK and Novo Nordisk

Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK and Novo Nordisk are the newest members of the Alliance for Genomic Discovery.
October 31, 2023

Polygenic “scores” may improve cancer screening

Accounting for genetic variability in biomarkers not associated with cancer risk could avoid unnecessary diagnostic procedures, Vanderbilt researchers found.
By Bill Snyder
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