Department of Veterans Affairs Archives
New marker for metaplasia
Oct. 14, 2021—A protein that transports water, called aquaporin 5, is expressed by cells undergoing changes that may increase risk for gastric cancer development, Vanderbilt researchers discovered.
Vitamin D impact on disease biomarkers
Aug. 10, 2021—In a randomized controlled trial, vitamin D supplementation did not improve biomarkers for cardiovascular and metabolic disease.
Gene expression in diabetic nephropathy
Aug. 5, 2021—Vanderbilt researchers are looking to mRNA populations in podocytes — kidney cells that help filter blood — to help identify potential targets for treating diabetic kidney disease.
Beta cell regeneration
May. 20, 2021—Vanderbilt researchers dissected the complex microenvironment of the pancreatic islet to discover the signals that drive beta cell regeneration — as a possible treatment for diabetes.
Genetic ancestry and hypertension risk
Apr. 29, 2021—Racial disparities in hypertension risk are due in part to genetic differences between ancestries, Vanderbilt investigators find in a study of participants in the Million Veteran Program.
New insights into kidney development
Apr. 15, 2021—Integrin-linked kinase, a central component of a complex that coordinates cell signaling involved in migration, proliferation and cell death, plays a role in kidney development and epithelial cell function.
Study revises understanding of cancer metabolism
Apr. 7, 2021—Tumors consume glucose at high rates, but a team of Vanderbilt researchers has discovered that cancer cells themselves are not the culprit, upending models of cancer metabolism that have been developed and refined over the last 100 years.
Codeine metabolizer status in clinical practice
Apr. 5, 2021—Vanderbilt researchers have developed a response score using genetic and clinical information to aid prescribing of the widely used pain medication codeine.
Breast cancer cells ‘steal’ nutrients from immune cells: study
Apr. 1, 2021—Triple-negative breast cancer cells engage in a “glutamine steal” — outcompeting T cells for the nutrient glutamine and impairing their ability to kill tumor cells, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.
Electronic health record study discovers novel hormone deficiency
Mar. 11, 2021—A novel hormone deficiency may exist in humans, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered. In an analysis of two decades worth of electronic health records, the researchers found that some patients have unexpectedly low levels of natriuretic peptide hormone in clinical situations that should cause high levels of the hormone.
Targeting glucagon action in diabetes
Mar. 4, 2021—Disrupting the action of glucagon — a pancreatic hormone that works to raise blood glucose — restores functional insulin-producing cells in mouse models of type 1 diabetes and may be a promising treatment strategy.
Potential biomarker for IBD severity, cancer risk identified
Feb. 4, 2021—A selenium transport protein produced in the colon may be a novel biomarker for assessing disease severity and cancer risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
