Division of Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology Archive — Page 4 of 12

Conceptual illustration of a leafy tree formed by winding groups of diverse people, representing human connections and shared ancestry.
September 27, 2024

Distant relatedness in biobanks harnessed to identify undiagnosed genetic disease

VUMC researchers have developed a genetic method that clusters distantly related people to find rare variants that were present in a common ancestor.

Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, and Nancy Cox, PhD. (photo by Donn Jones)
September 25, 2024

Alexander Bick named head of Genetic Medicine

Bick will succeed Nancy Cox, PhD, who has led Genetic Medicine since she came to VUMC in 2015. Genetic Medicine is one of 13 divisions in the Department of Medicine.

Melinda Aldrich, PhD, MPH
September 20, 2024

Melinda Aldrich elected to genetics society board of directors

Aldrich uses population-based cohorts and biobanks to investigate lung cancer; her research informed guidelines for lung cancer screening.

Abstract side-profile silhouette outlined in glowing white and blue light against a dark background, surrounded by colorful blurred circles.
September 9, 2024

Peptide discovery could advance treatment of high blood pressure

VUMC researchers found that peptides modified by highly reactive compounds called isolevuglandins activated T cells and promoted hypertension in mice. Their first-ever isolation of such peptides is a step toward potentially intervening in this pathologic process.

Illustration of a blood vessel cut open to reveal yellow fatty plaque narrowing the channel, with red blood cells flowing around the obstruction.
August 13, 2024

$3.4 million research grant targets risk of heart attack, stroke

Making innovative use of observational data, researchers hope to gain new understanding of patient risk and identify existing drugs to lower risk.

Conceptual illustration of a human silhouette composed of colorful molecular structures, surrounded by DNA double helices, chemical formulas, and magnified molecular diagrams on a dark blue background.
July 8, 2024

GeneMAP discovery platform will help define functions for ‘orphan’ metabolic proteins 

The combination of genomics and metabolism identified a long-sought mitochondrial choline transporter.