Journal of Clinical Investigation

Deanna Edwards, PhD, left, Jin Chen, MD, PhD, and colleagues are studying a new therapeutic strategy for triple-negative breast cancer.
April 1, 2021

Breast cancer cells ‘steal’ nutrients from immune cells: study

Triple-negative breast cancer cells engage in a “glutamine steal” — outcompeting T cells for the nutrient glutamine and impairing their ability to kill tumor cells, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.

By Leigh MacMillan
Allison Norlander, PhD, R. Stokes Peebles, MD, and colleagues are studying an approved drug that enhances immune cells and might be useful for treating inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
March 25, 2021

Team studies new use for pulmonary hypertension drug

An FDA-approved medication enhances the function of T regulatory cells (Treg), a class of immune cells that restrains the immune response, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered.

By Leigh MacMillan
November 18, 2020

Why does COVID-19 seem to spare children? Vanderbilt University Medical Center study offers an answer 

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and their colleagues have determined a key factor as to why COVID-19 appears to infect and sicken adults and older people preferentially while seeming to spare younger children. 

By Bill Snyder
February 20, 2020

Post-transplant diabetes may be reversible: study

Post-transplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM), a common complication of immunosuppressive drugs that are given to prevent transplant rejection, may be reversible and at least partially preventable, researchers at VUMC report.

By Bill Snyder
January 29, 2020

Study links neural circuit with impaired social function

Stimulating neural activity between the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens — a brain region associated with pleasure — impairs social function even though mice find the stimulation rewarding, a new study published by Vanderbilt researchers reports.

By Kelsey Herbers
July 24, 2019

Defective transporter linked to autism

A first-of-its-kind mouse model may help reveal mechanistic underpinnings for the altered behaviors of autism spectrum disorder.

By Bill Snyder
January 17, 2019

Study points to alternate therapy for rare form of diabetes

Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers say an unexpected finding during the cellular analysis of human pancreatic tissue has revealed new information about a rare type of diabetes and underscores the importance of genetic testing for some individuals diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
By Jill Clendening
January 25, 2018

Study may point to new ways to reverse insulin resistance

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered how insulin crosses the capillary endothelium to exit blood vessels and stimulate skeletal muscle cells — a major finding that may lead to new ways to reverse insulin resistance, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes.
By Bill Snyder
May 25, 2017

Study reveals role for stem cells in chronic lung diseases

A novel population of lung stem cells plays an important role in regulating the pulmonary microvasculature — the network of tiny blood vessels where oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange takes place.
By Leigh MacMillan
April 18, 2017

Vanderbilt-led study shows high-salt diet decreases thirst, increases hunger

Salted peanuts make you thirsty so you drink more: that’s bartender wisdom. While that may be true in the short-term, within 24 hours increasing salt consumption actually makes you less thirsty because your body starts to conserve and produce water.
By Bill Snyder
October 13, 2016

EGF receptor found to regulate macrophage inflammation in gut

Researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine have uncovered a link between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling and the inflammatory response to bacterial infection in the gastrointestinal tract.
By Bill Snyder
April 28, 2016

Study sheds light on link between autism, GI issues

Researchers at Columbia and Vanderbilt universities have made an important discovery in mice that has implications for understanding the gastrointestinal (GI) problems experienced by some children with autism.
By Bill Snyder
January 27, 2016

Study identifies new culprit in lung cancer development

A microRNA — a small piece of RNA involved in regulating gene expression — functions as an oncogene to drive the development of lung cancer, Vanderbilt University investigators have discovered.
By Leigh MacMillan