Division of Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology

April 20, 2023

Genetics and chronic pain

Polygenic risk scores — scores that reflect the influence of common genetic variants — could be used to predict the likelihood of developing chronic overlapping pain conditions and guide biomarker and targeted prevention efforts.

By Bill Snyder
April 12, 2023

Research identifies new target that may prevent blood cancer

An international coalition of biomedical researchers co-led by Vanderbilt’s Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, has determined a new way to measure the growth rate of precancerous clones of blood stem cells that one day could help doctors lower their patients’ risk of blood cancer.

By Bill Snyder
March 28, 2023

Inflammation implicated in exfoliation syndrome

Computational genetics tools have implicated inflammatory pathways in exfoliation syndrome, the most common cause of secondary glaucoma, which can result in blindness.

By Leigh MacMillan
Research by Mingjian Shi, PhD, left, Jonathan Mosley, MD, PhD, Kerry Schaffer, MD, MSCI, and colleagues found that polygenic risk score does not improve prediction of aggressive prostate cancer.
March 16, 2023

Study evaluates polygenic risk score for prostate cancer risk prediction

A Vanderbilt study found that prostate cancer polygenic risk score has limited utility for enhancing prostate cancer screening.

By Leigh MacMillan
The research team included, from left, Hannah Poisner, Sydney Olson, J. Brett Heimlich, MD, PhD, Ningning Hu, MS, Alyssa Parker, Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, Joseph Van Amburg and Tara Mack.
February 2, 2023

Researchers clarify role of blood cell mutations in disease

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a new method to analyze mutations in blood stem cells that can trigger explosive, clonal expansions of abnormal cells.

By Bill Snyder
The study team included, from left, Linh Tran, Ruben Barricade, PhD, Jaren Perez, and Xin Zhen. (photo by Susan Urmy)
January 20, 2023

Study reveals new genetic disorder that causes susceptibility to opportunistic infections

An international consortium co-led by Vanderbilt’s Rubén Martínez-Barricarte, PhD, has discovered a new genetic disorder that causes immunodeficiency and profound susceptibility to opportunistic infections including a life-threatening fungal pneumonia. 

By Bill Snyder
January 12, 2023

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative grant supports single-cell study of rare inherited disease

A multidisciplinary team led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigator Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, has been awarded a $2 million, four-year grant to study inflammation at the single-cell level in the rare disease RUNX1-FPD.
By Leigh MacMillan
January 12, 2023

Roden honored for his leadership in precision medicine

Vanderbilt's Dan Roden, MD, will receive the PMWC 2023 Pioneer Award Jan. 27 during this year’s Precision Medicine World Conference.
By Bill Snyder
January 12, 2023

VUMC’s Lang, Stover receive genetic counseling awards

Vanderbilt's Katie Lang, MS, CGC, and Samantha (Sam) Stover, MS, CGC, were recently honored at the 2022 Heart of Genetic Counseling Award ceremony.
By Danny Bonvissuto
January 10, 2023

Anti-nausea drug response in children

Genetic variation in a metabolic enzyme was not associated with response to the anti-nausea drug odansetron in children, Vanderbilt researchers report.
By Leigh MacMillan
December 19, 2022

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s BioVU reaches milestone with biological samples

BioVU, Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s biobank, has reached another milestone — deep-freeze storage of more than 300,000 biological samples.
By Bill Snyder
November 17, 2022

Surgery for hereditary breast cancer

Similar rates of bilateral mastectomy in women with inherited mutations in high- and moderate-penetrance genes raises concerns about possible overtreatment of some patients, Vanderbilt researchers report.
By Leigh MacMillan
October 28, 2022

VUMC mourns loss of noted hypertension expert Elijovich

Fernando Elijovich, MD, professor of Medicine in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, died in Nashville on Oct. 21. He was 77.
By Bill Snyder