Eric Skaar Archives

A C. diff bacterium (green) with iron particles in red, shown in a reconstructed electron tomogram from STEM-EDS. (image courtesy of James McBride)

Novel C. diff structures are required for infection, offer new therapeutic targets

Nov. 15, 2023—Vanderbilt research discovers that iron storage “spheres” inside the bacterium C. diff — the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections — are important for infection in an animal model and could offer new targets for antibacterial drugs.

Martin Douglass, PhD, is studying how Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), a bacterium that causes diarrhea and colitis, inflammation of the colon, responds to host-mediated immune responses.

VUMC postdoctoral researcher selected as HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow

Sep. 21, 2023—Vanderbilt postdoctoral researcher Martin Douglass, PhD, has been named a 2023 Hanna Gray Fellow by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

The study team includes, from left, Maribeth Nicholson, MD, MPH, Ben Spiller, PhD, Buddy Creech, MD, MPH, Borden Lacy, PhD, Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH, Isaac Thomsen, MD, MSCI, Ivelin Georgiev, PhD, and Danyvid Olivares-Villagomez, PhD.

NIH grant launches C. diff vaccine research initiative

Mar. 30, 2023—Vanderbilt has received an NIH grant to launch the Vanderbilt Antibody and Antigen Discovery for Clostridioides difficile Vaccines, or VANDy-CdV.

Terker selected as VUMC Discovery Scholar in Health and Medicine

Oct. 27, 2022— by Bill Snyder Andrew Terker, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been selected as the 2022 VUMC Discovery Scholar in Health and Medicine. The Discovery Scholars program was launched in 2020 with funding from the Brock Family Directorship in Career Development...

VUMC lands grant to build top-line biosafety facility

Sep. 29, 2022—Vanderbilt University Medical Center is set to construct a state-of-the-art BioSafety Level 3 (BSL3) facility for research involving the COVID-19 virus, anthrax and other dangerous microorganisms.

Kaydi Naylor, 4, touches an eastern chain kingsnake at last week’s “MEGAMicrobe Express” community science fair at the Warner Elementary Arts Magnet School in East Nashville.

MEGAMicrobe event shows children that science can be fun

Sep. 22, 2022—More than 100 children who attended the “MEGAMicrobe Express” community science fair on Sept. 17 at the Warner Elementary Arts Magnet School in East Nashville.

Bacterial battle in 3D

Jun. 2, 2022—Using imaging mass spectrometry and microscopy, Vanderbilt researchers visualized how staph bacteria modifies lipids in its membrane to evade immune system-mediated killing.

Andy Weiss, PhD, Caitlin Murdoch, PhD, and colleagues have characterized the first zinc metallochaperone: a protein that puts zinc into other “client” proteins.

Study identifies first cellular “chaperone” for zinc, sheds light on worldwide public health problem of zinc deficiency

May. 17, 2022—A team led by Vanderbilt researchers has described and characterized the first zinc metallochaperone: a protein that puts zinc into other “client” proteins.

Erin Green, PhD, Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH, and colleagues are studying how a certain bacterial pathogen can survive on hospital surfaces for months with no water.

VUMC team discovers how bacterial pathogen survives without water

May. 5, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers are studying a bacterial pathogen that can survive on hospital surfaces — without water — for months, an ability that has helped it become a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections.

Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH, Hualiang Pi, PhD, and colleagues are studying a regulatory factor in the bacterium that causes the disease anthrax.

Study advances understanding of bacterial bioterrorism agent

Apr. 7, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers have identified a critical regulatory factor in the bacterium that causes the disease anthrax and has been used as a biological weapon.

Impaired neutrophils in autoimmunity

Jan. 27, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers help answer the question of why patients with autoimmune diseases like lupus are more susceptible to bacterial infections: their neutrophils have impaired antibacterial activity.

Molecular imaging of C. diff infection

Sep. 30, 2021—C. difficile — the leading cause of hospital-associated intestinal infections — induces a rapid influx of bile acids into the gut, which could provide a novel target for blocking infection.