Department of Cell and Developmental Biology

November 14, 2019

VUMC researchers set for Cutting-Edge Discovery Lecture

Antiviral immunity, obesity and pulmonary fibrosis will be discussed by three Vanderbilt University researchers during a Cutting-Edge Discovery Lecture on Nov. 21. The lecture will begin at 4 p.m. in 208 Light Hall.

By Leigh MacMillan
The research team studying undiagnosed congenital diarrheas includes, from left, Matt Tyska, PhD, James Goldenring, MD, PhD, Joseph Roland, PhD, Sari Acra, MD, MPH, and Hernan Correa, MD.
October 24, 2019

Team set to study undiagnosed congenital diarrhea in infants

Researchers at four institutions, including Vanderbilt, have been awarded a five-year, $9.4 million federal grant to tackle undiagnosed congenital diarrheas caused by a single gene mutation.

By Christina Echegaray
October 17, 2019

Microscopic spines connect worm neurons

Worm neurons have microscopic “spines” — where nerve-to-nerve communication happens — that share features with mammalian neurons, supporting the use of worms to study spine genetics and biology.

By Leigh MacMillan
September 19, 2019

Microvilli in motion

Live cell imaging studies have revealed that microvilli — finger-like protrusions on the surface of epithelial cells — move and collide as they form the brush border.

By Anivarya Kumar
September 5, 2019

The plus and minus of microtubules

Understanding the dynamic regulation of cytoskeletal microtubules may suggest new ways to treat disorders ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to cancer.

By Bill Snyder
August 27, 2019

A “rheostat” for cancer signals

Jason MacGurn and colleagues have characterized a “rheostat” that sets WNT pathway signaling in breast cancer cells.

By Sanjay Mishra
August 15, 2019

Protein’s role in inflammation-related cancer studied

Investigators are exploring the molecular mechanisms behind the association of chronic inflammation and colon cancer.
By Tom Wilemon
August 12, 2019

Pancreatic cancer clue

Inflammation synergizes with a cell’s intrinsic genetic program to promote the development of pancreatic cancer.
By Niyati Vachharajani
July 29, 2019

New role for microtubules in diabetes

Microtubules — part of the cell's cytoskeleton — regulate the secretion of insulin, suggesting that they may be a new target for treating diabetes.
By Bill Snyder
July 18, 2019

Rasmussen named Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar

Megan Rasmussen, a PhD student in Cell and Developmental Biology, has been selected as the 2019 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar.
By Bill Snyder
June 10, 2019

Cell-cell signals in developing heart

Scott Baldwin and colleagues have discovered early signaling events during heart development, findings that could guide cell replacement therapies for heart disease.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 9, 2019

Blueprint for rebuilding the heart

Young-Jae Nam and colleagues are discovering how to express specific factors in connective tissue cells to turn them into heart muscle cells.
By Anivarya Kumar
May 9, 2019

The dynamic basement

Vanderbilt scientists led by Andrea Page-McCaw have discovered a new way to analyze repair of basement membranes — important structural and functional components of tissues.
By Sanjay Mishra