BioVU

February 24, 2026

Study identifies medical conditions that could predict future Alzheimer’s disease

The findings could suggest ways to intervene before clinical symptoms of memory and cognitive impairment become apparent.

By Leigh MacMillan
January 20, 2026

Bayer and Vanderbilt University Medical Center to advance treatments for cardiovascular and kidney diseases 

The collaboration will leverage VUMC’s resource platform, including its comprehensive datasets hosted in Vanderbilt’s BioVU collection of DNA and plasma to enable data-driven insights and to accelerate discovery and development.

October 15, 2025

New NCI-funded project targets polyp recurrence to prevent colon cancer

The researchers anticipate that their findings will inform personalized colorectal polyp surveillance, guide therapeutic prevention strategies, and ultimately reduce the burden of colorectal cancer nationwide.

By Leigh MacMillan
Dan Roden, MD, chats with colleagues during a break in the symposium. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
October 1, 2025

Symposium honors personalized medicine leader Dan Roden

Roden is internationally known for his contributions to understanding arrhythmias and to the field of pharmacogenomics.

By Bill Snyder
September 5, 2025

Dan Roden awarded Vanderbilt’s Earl Sutherland Prize for Achievement in Research

He received the award for his pioneering work focusing on leveraging genetic information to enhance health care outcomes.

(iStock image)
June 23, 2025

Low blood cell counts drive cancer in explosive blood disorder: study

The analysis of genetic sequencing data from more than 34,000 people over a 17-year period by researchers at VUMC was published in eClinicalMedicine.

By Bill Snyder
April 25, 2025

Polygenic score for height could improve diagnosis for children with short stature: study

Even after comprehensive testing, about 30% of children with short stature — height below the third percentile on a growth chart — do not have a definitive diagnosis, leading to extended surveillance, testing and anxiety.
By Leigh MacMillan
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