Vanderbilt investigators said their work shows that computational design can improve the ability of naturally occurring antibodies to recognize different flu strains and may hasten the development of more effective flu therapies and vaccines.

A link between anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and C. diff infection suggests caution against overusing such drugs in patients at high risk for infection.

John Karijolich and colleagues have discovered a link between cellular RNA processing and the innate cellular immune response to viral pathogens.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues have isolated a human monoclonal antibody that can “neutralize” the West Nile virus and potentially prevent a leading cause of viral encephalitis (brain inflammation) in the United States.

The cellular nutrient glutamine launches a metabolic signaling pathway that promotes the function of some immune system T cells and suppresses others, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.

Donald Rubin, MD, professor of Medicine and Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt, has received the alumni award for special achievement from his alma mater, the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.

New findings may explain why the prevalence of asthma is higher in women and suggest that testosterone derivatives may be useful for treating more severe types of asthma.