Department of Cell and Developmental Biology

October 11, 2018

Novel genetic study sheds new light on risk of heart attack

Loss of a protein that regulates mitochondrial function can greatly increase the risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack), Vanderbilt scientists reported Oct. 3 in the journal eLife.

By Bill Snyder
September 27, 2018

Cancer Moonshot award to help map tumor progression

A trans-institutional team of researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University has received an $11 million Cancer Moonshot grant to build a single-cell resolution atlas to map out the routes that benign colonic polyps take to progress to colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer among both men and women in the United States.

By Tom Wilemon
September 13, 2018

How microvilli form

A protein called IRTKS helps build the microvilli that form the border of cells in the intestines, explaining why the protein is a frequent target of gut pathogens.

By Sanjay Mishra
August 30, 2018

A brain-builder called “Shh”

New findings demonstrate a previously unappreciated role of Shh signaling activity in the proliferation of CGNPs — the presumed cell-of-origin for a subset of the malignant pediatric brain tumor medulloblastoma.

By VUMC News and Communications
August 30, 2018

Gould awarded Sutherland Prize for Achievement in Research

Vanderbilt University’s most prestigious faculty honor for accomplishments in research, scholarship or creative expression was awarded to Kathleen Gould, PhD, during the Fall Faculty Assembly Aug. 23.

By VUMC News and Communications
August 2, 2018

Repairs in the basement membrane

Studies in fruit flies have shed light on how the basement membrane — a sheet-like scaffold that wraps around most animal tissues — is repaired after being damaged.

By Sanjay Mishra
August 2, 2018

How asters form

New findings shed light on the formation of microtubule structures that support cellular processes ranging from cell division to intracellular transport.
By VUMC News and Communications
July 19, 2018

New player in DNA damage repair

New findings open opportunities to understand mechanisms of DNA repair for a toxic form of DNA damage.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 1, 2018

Looking beyond the ‘magic bullet’ approach to drug discovery

Vanderbilt scientists have developed a new process that can rapidly and inexpensively identify personalized cancer drugs derived from nature.
By VUMC News and Communications
April 23, 2018

Toxin floats on lipid rafts

The bacterium H. pylori is a leading cause of stomach cancer, and Vanderbilt researchers are studying how one of its toxins gets into cells.
By Leigh MacMillan
April 19, 2018

MIT’s Orr-Weaver wraps up spring Discovery Lecture series April 26

The spring Flexner Discovery Lecture series wraps up on Thursday, April 26, with a presentation by Terry Orr-Weaver, PhD, professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
By Leigh MacMillan
April 5, 2018

Lung diseases share molecular signature

Lung diseases of infancy and aging share a molecular signature, pointing to a potential target for treatment and prevention.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 22, 2018

Study tracks protein’s role in stem cell function

MCL-1 is a member of the BCL-2 family of proteins important for blocking apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Many types of cancer cells escape the body’s effort to kill them by overexpressing MCL-1.
By Bill Snyder