immunology

Jeffrey Rathmell, PhD, directs the Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology.
July 18, 2019

Center for Immunobiology grows, bolsters program

The Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology has relaunched its mission with a greater focus on human immunology, an endeavor supported by additional researchers, more funding support and designation as a Center of Excellence.

By Tom Wilemon
May 9, 2019

Frog fungus fights back

Louise Rollins-Smith and colleagues are exploring how a deadly fungus counters the amphibian immune response and contributes to declining worldwide amphibian populations.

By Leigh MacMillan
April 25, 2019

Immune ‘pruning’ in schizophrenia

Ariel Deutch and colleagues have discovered that overactive brain immune cells during adolescence may contribute to schizophrenia.

By Bill Snyder
April 25, 2019

Low oxygen and antibody responses

Mark Boothby and colleagues are exploring the factors that contribute to antibody production and quality, which are key to our defense against pathogens and response to vaccines.

By Leigh MacMillan
bacteria microbiome
April 11, 2019

How bugs overcome host defenses

Vanderbilt researchers led by Eric Skaar are probing the mechanisms bacteria use when faced with nutrient starvation — a host defense strategy called “nutritional immunity.”

By Leigh MacMillan
Young Kim, MD, PhD, left, Michael Korrer, PhD, and colleagues are studying a potential new cancer immunotherapy option.
February 21, 2019

Discovery points to new cancer immunotherapy option

An international team involving Vanderbilt researchers has discovered that a new “checkpoint” protein on immune system cells is active in tumors, and that blocking it — in combination with other treatments — is a successful therapeutic approach in mouse models of cancer.

By Leigh MacMillan
February 13, 2019

Researchers push forward frontiers of vaccine science

Using sophisticated gene sequencing and computing techniques, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the San Diego Supercomputer Center have achieved a first-of-its-kind glimpse into how the body’s immune system gears up to fight off infection.
By Bill Snyder
December 13, 2018

Breast cancer-killing RIG

A compound that activates a virus-sensing receptor has potent therapeutic effects in a mouse model of breast cancer.
By Leigh MacMillan
December 13, 2018

RNA processing and antiviral immunity

John Karijolich and colleagues have discovered a link between cellular RNA processing and the innate cellular immune response to viral pathogens.
By Leigh MacMillan
November 1, 2018

Team seeks to identify immune response to influenza

Vanderbilt researchers, as part of the International Human Vaccines Project, are searching for the key to lasting protection against influenza by examining naturally protecting cells found in bone marrow.
By Craig Boerner
October 12, 2018

Asthma’s androgen connection

New findings may explain why the prevalence of asthma is higher in women and suggest that testosterone derivatives may be useful for treating more severe types of asthma.
By VUMC News and Communications
October 1, 2018

Cytokine-cognition connection

Targeting the immune system may provide a new avenue for therapeutic intervention in psychiatric diseases characterized by motivational and cognitive deficits.
By Laura Daniel
September 27, 2018

Stretch, inflammation and hypertension

New research sheds light on how changes in blood vessel forces enhance immune cell activation and promote hypertension.
By VUMC News and Communications