Department of Pharmacology Archives

array of test tubes with pipette dropping fluid into one

Guengerich, Sanders-Bush named ASPET fellows

Sep. 20, 2019—Vanderbilt University’s F. Peter (Fred) Guengerich, PhD, and Elaine Sanders-Bush, PhD, are among 22 prominent scientists named this week to the inaugural class of fellows of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

Data science training program lands AAMC education award

Sep. 12, 2019—A course that provides biomedical scientists-in-training at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine with the essentials of data science has won second place in the 2019 Innovations in Research and Research Education Award program sponsored by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC).

A probiotic treatment for obesity?

Aug. 8, 2019—Engineered bacteria that produce beneficial compounds — and that could potentially be administered in foods like yogurt — may be a future treatment for obesity and other chronic diseases.

Defective transporter linked to autism

Jul. 24, 2019—A first-of-its-kind mouse model may help reveal mechanistic underpinnings for the altered behaviors of autism spectrum disorder.

Potassium balance and glaucoma

Jul. 15, 2019—Vanderbilt Eye Institute researchers have discovered that an imbalance in the ionic environment of retinal ganglion cells may contribute to functional impairments in glaucoma.

Former Pharmacology chair Hardman remembered as gifted scientist, educator, mentor

Jul. 2, 2019—Joel Hardman, PhD, an internationally recognized scientist and educator who chaired the Department of Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine from 1975 to 1990, died June 30, 2019 in Hoosick Falls, New York, after a lengthy illness. He was 85.

Immune ‘pruning’ in schizophrenia

Apr. 25, 2019—Ariel Deutch and colleagues have discovered that overactive brain immune cells during adolescence may contribute to schizophrenia.

The arrestin-GPCR connection

Apr. 11, 2019—Understanding details of how arrestins deactivate signaling by G-protein coupled receptors is key to the design of new therapeutics aimed at these cellular "inboxes" that are targeted by up to half of all pharmaceuticals.

Keeping bone in its place

Apr. 11, 2019—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.

Cancer’s SOS

Mar. 28, 2019—Stephen Fesik and colleagues are advancing cancer drug discovery with the characterization of small molecules that modulate RAS, an important target for anti-cancer therapies.

New way to stimulate learning?

Mar. 14, 2019—Vagus nerve stimulation could be beneficial for treating Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive impairment, Vanderbilt research findings suggest.