Department of Veterans Affairs Archives
Microtubules act as cellular ‘rheostat’ to control insulin secretion
Dec. 3, 2015—Microtubules — cellular “highways” that deliver cargo to the cell membrane for secretion — have a surprising role in pancreatic beta cells. Instead of facilitating glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, they limit it, a team of Vanderbilt investigators reported recently in Developmental Cell.
Immune system a must for kidney repair
Nov. 12, 2015—A signaling protein that is essential for recovery from acute kidney injury works by increasing the population of tissue-repairing immune cells.
Detect and defend against pathogens
Nov. 4, 2015—Understanding factors, such as the receptor TLR9, that detect and defend against pathogens may lead to therapeutic approaches that promote an effective immune response to treat infections.
Inflammation, obesity and diabetes
Oct. 29, 2015—Vanderbilt study adds to the mounting role for inflammatory signaling in obesity.
Healing without scarring
Oct. 16, 2015—Drugs that inhibit the Wnt signaling pathway can regenerate injured skin and may be useful in treating fibromatosis, degenerative joint disease and cancer.
Depression poses heart risk for HIV patients: study
Oct. 8, 2015—The first study to suggest that major depressive disorder (MDD) is an independent risk factor for heart failure in HIV-positive adults has been published in Circulation.
Immune cells and obesity
Sep. 8, 2015—Understanding how macrophage immune cells accumulate in fat tissue and contribute to the pathology of obesity could lead to the development of novel therapeutics for metabolic disorders.
New therapeutic target for diabetes
Aug. 20, 2015—The factor FoxM1 increases the proliferation and function of insulin-producing beta cells, making it an attractive therapeutic target for diabetes.
Targeting bone metastasis
Jul. 23, 2015—The rigidity of the bone extracellular matrix increases the ability of tumor cells to destroy bone, suggesting new targets for anticancer drug development.
Study explores protein’s role in inflammation-associated cancer
Jul. 23, 2015—An antioxidant protein may protect against colon cancer that develops in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, suggesting new strategies for reducing colon cancer risk in these patients.
Hhex on cancer
Jul. 13, 2015—A new mouse model demonstrates that the Hhex gene – which is linked to blood cancers – is critical for normal blood cell production.
Delivering cells for heart repair
Jul. 10, 2015—A polymer hydrogel material developed by Vanderbilt scientists improved the delivery of stem cells for heart repair.
