Department of Pathology Microbiology and Immunology

Pampee Young, MD, PhD, left, Sarika Saraswati, PhD, and colleagues are studying the different ways fibroblasts function following tissue injury.
August 8, 2019

Cellular engines of wound repair have distinct roles

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered that, in contrast to prevailing dogma, fibroblasts are not all alike; instead, they have distinctive functions following tissue injury.

By Leigh MacMillan
July 30, 2019

Intestinal immune cell interactions

Understanding the roles of various immune cells that reside in the gut lining could shed light on inflammatory bowel diseases.

By Leigh MacMillan
Jeffrey Rathmell, PhD, directs the Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology.
July 18, 2019

Center for Immunobiology grows, bolsters program

The Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology has relaunched its mission with a greater focus on human immunology, an endeavor supported by additional researchers, more funding support and designation as a Center of Excellence.

By Tom Wilemon
James Crowe Jr., MD, and colleagues are exploring how the body’s immune system gears up to fight off infection.
July 9, 2019

Vanderbilt vaccine pioneer James Crowe honored with major science prize

James Crowe Jr., MD, director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, will be honored today by the science and technology company Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany for his contributions to developing new therapeutics and vaccines against some of the world’s deadliest viruses.

By Bill Snyder
June 14, 2019

New method tested to block chikungunya infection

Scientists are testing a new way to fight chikungunya virus that involves injecting genetic material into the bodies of infected and at-risk individuals to trigger rapid production of potent, virus-neutralizing antibodies.

By Bill Snyder
Research assistant Mahsa Majedi loads reagent used in DNA sample preparation in the genomics lab. She is part of a team of more than a dozen people at VUMC who are “sprinting” to develop — within 90 days — an antibody-based treatment to stop the spread of the Zika virus.
June 6, 2019

VUMC joins international effort to speed vaccine development

VUMC has joined an international effort to streamline and accelerate development of vaccines and other treatments against a growing worldwide surge of deadly and debilitating viral infections.

By Bill Snyder
May 16, 2019

Byndloss selected for NIH future research leaders conference

Mariana Byndloss, DVM, PhD, has been selected to participate in the Future Research Leaders Conference at the National Institutes of Health.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 9, 2019

Frog fungus fights back

Louise Rollins-Smith and colleagues are exploring how a deadly fungus counters the amphibian immune response and contributes to declining worldwide amphibian populations.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 2, 2019

International Society of Nephrology honors Fogo

Agnes Fogo, MD, an internationally known expert in kidney disease at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has won the 2019 Roscoe Robinson Award from the International Society of Nephrology (ISN).
By Bill Snyder
April 25, 2019

Receptor’s role in stopping H. pylori

The immune receptor NOD1 may be a prime target for preventing or treating H. pylori infections — the most significant risk factor for stomach cancer, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.
By Niyati Vachharajani
April 25, 2019

Low oxygen and antibody responses

Mark Boothby and colleagues are exploring the factors that contribute to antibody production and quality, which are key to our defense against pathogens and response to vaccines.
By Leigh MacMillan
April 11, 2019

Keeping bone in its place

Jonathan Schoenecker and colleagues have discovered a new mechanism for the formation of bone in soft tissues — a complication of severe injuries that causes pain and limits mobility.
By Anivarya Kumar
April 11, 2019

How bugs overcome host defenses

Vanderbilt researchers led by Eric Skaar are probing the mechanisms bacteria use when faced with nutrient starvation — a host defense strategy called “nutritional immunity.”
By Leigh MacMillan