Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

A rise in a mother’s blood levels of serotonin — a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, memory and gastrointestinal function — is associated with some, but not all forms of autism in children. (illustration by Diana Duren with Adobe Stock)
July 29, 2024

Study sheds new light on autism, but there’s more work to be done

A target of their investigations is serotonin, a signaling molecule that is well known for its critical roles in regulating mood and which also plays an important role in the development of the brain and nervous system.

By Bill Snyder
June 25, 2024

David Wasserman, groundbreaking researcher into exercise, insulin stimulation and metabolism, dies at 66

A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, his work has important implications for the treatment of diabetes and heart disease.

By Melinda Rogers
Alyssa Hasty, PhD, left, Jeffrey Rathmell, PhD, and Kamran Idrees, MD, MSCI, are part of a multidisciplinary team that received a 2023 Endeavor Award from The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research to study the connection between obesity and cancer. Team members not pictured include Kathryn Wellen, PhD, Liza Makowski, PhD, and Kathryn Beckermann, MD, PhD.
October 24, 2023

Vanderbilt-led team receives 2023 Endeavor Award from The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research

A multidisciplinary team of investigators has received a 2023 Endeavor Award from The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research to support four closely linked projects exploring the fundamental mechanisms that drive the obesity-cancer connection,

By Leigh MacMillan
June 21, 2023

Vanderbilt launches $17 million program to advance diversity of research faculty

Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University are launching a $17 million multiyear transformative program with support from the National Institutes of Health to accelerate diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the biomedical research community.

By Holly Fletcher
January 6, 2022

Study explores how bacteria become drug resistant

Vanderbilt researchers have revealed more of the inner-workings of a two-stage “molecular motor” in the cell membrane that enables bacteria to become resistant to drugs.

By Bill Snyder
Researchers who helped find high-risk genes for schizophrenia included, from left, Quan Wang, PhD, Bingshan Li, PhD, Nancy Cox, PhD, Rui Chen, PhD, Xue Zhong, PhD, Qiang Wei, PhD, and James Sutcliffe, PhD.
April 18, 2019

Researchers find high-risk genes for schizophrenia

Using a unique computational framework they developed, a team of scientist cyber-sleuths in the Vanderbilt University Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute (VGI) has identified 104 high-risk genes for schizophrenia.

By Bill Snyder
December 13, 2018

Lean vs. obese adipose tissue cells

A greater understanding of the mechanisms and cell types involved in returning adipose (fatty) tissue to the lean state may lead to more effective treatments for obesity.
By Bill Snyder
October 11, 2018

Insulin accelerant

It’s possible to increase the permeability of blood vessels and accelerate insulin action in muscle, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.
By Laura Daniel
September 27, 2018

Fat tissue’s “iron sink”

Alyssa Hasty and colleagues demonstrated that immune cells called macrophages act in fat tissue to store iron and prevent iron toxicity.
By Sanjay Mishra
September 13, 2018

Research reveals link between immunity, diabetes

When it comes to diet-induced obesity, your immune system is not always your friend.
By Bill Snyder
September 6, 2018

Team’s findings could spur new treatments for type 2 diabetes

An international research team including scientists from Vanderbilt University has discovered how the diabetes drug metformin blocks glucose production by the liver. The discovery, reported Aug. 27 in the journal Nature Medicine, could lead to development of new ways to treat type 2 diabetes.
By Bill Snyder
March 23, 2018

Voluntary exercise and energy balance

Non-exercise physical activity has a measurable energy expenditure, which goes down when animals engage in voluntary exercise, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.
By Leigh MacMillan
January 25, 2018

Study may point to new ways to reverse insulin resistance

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered how insulin crosses the capillary endothelium to exit blood vessels and stimulate skeletal muscle cells — a major finding that may lead to new ways to reverse insulin resistance, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes.
By Bill Snyder
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