Department of Medicine

January 11, 2021

Microbial RNA and rheumatoid arthritis

Small RNAs — short stretches of genetic material — from microbes may be playing a role in rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

By Leigh MacMillan
January 7, 2021

Vitamin D activation and cancer risk

Vitamin D protection against colon cancer varies according to parathyroid hormone response, particularly among women.

By Paul Govern
January 7, 2021

Freedman named director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine

Jane Freedman, MD, will join Vanderbilt University Medical Center as director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and the physician-in-chief of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute, effective Aug. 1.

By Matt Batcheldor
January 7, 2021

Functional seizures associated with stroke, psychiatric disorders in electronic health records study

In a large-scale study of electronic health records, Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have determined the prevalence of functional seizures and characterized comorbidities associated with them.

By Leigh MacMillan
January 6, 2021

Genome editing technique “rescues” mice from accelerated aging disorder: study

Researchers from the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Vanderbilt University Medical Center for the first time have used a novel genome-editing technique to “rescue” mice from progeria, a rare genetic disease that causes accelerated aging.

By Bill Snyder
December 22, 2020

Pancreatlas provides access to complex images of the human pancreas

Images of cells and tissues are a critical part of biomedical research as they show which molecules or proteins are present and where these molecules are located in the tissue. Using increasingly sophisticated microscopes and imaging approaches, scientists can now look at more than 40 different molecules at once, an approach known as multi-plex imaging, where in the past they could only look at three or four molecules at a time.

By Jill Clendening
December 22, 2020

Arthritis drug may treat immunotherapy-related heart complication

By Tom Wilemon
December 21, 2020

HERO-TOGETHER study seeks health care workers who receive COVID-19 vaccine

Health care workers, who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, will be the first tier of Vanderbilt University Medical Center employees to receive vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.
By Kathy Whitney
December 17, 2020

Clinic uses new weapon to treat high-risk COVID patients

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has a new weapon in the fight against COVID-19 — an investigational antibody treatment approved last month for emergency use in COVID-19 outpatients at high risk of developing severe disease or requiring hospital care.
By Bill Snyder
December 17, 2020

Study reveals distinct genomic landscape for young adults with appendiceal cancer

The first study to compare molecular landscapes of early-onset and late-onset appendiceal cancer has revealed distinct non-silent mutations in the tumors of younger patients, setting the stage for the development of potential therapeutic advances for this rare disease.
By Tom Wilemon
December 10, 2020

Study sheds light on diabetes and COVID interaction

COVID-19 has been linked to cases of new-onset diabetes, diabetes-related emergencies and a higher death rate among diabetes patients.
By Bill Snyder
December 10, 2020

Study details early events of inflammatory response

Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have identified a key molecular player in the early events of the inflammatory response to infection. The findings suggest new therapeutic possibilities for enhancing the inflammatory response to protect against pathogens and for blocking inflammation gone awry in diseases like arthritis and atherosclerosis.
By Leigh MacMillan
December 3, 2020

Implementation research focus of symposium hosted by VUMC

One hundred ten participants from around the country attended a three-day virtual symposium hosted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center last month that explored how Implementation Research in the Learning Healthcare System can improve the quality and delivery of health care.
By Bill Snyder