NIDDK Archives
Fat tissue’s “iron sink”
Sep. 27, 2018—Alyssa Hasty and colleagues demonstrated that immune cells called macrophages act in fat tissue to store iron and prevent iron toxicity.
Diabetes drug may prevent cancer
Sep. 14, 2018—The research suggests that metformin should be further studied clinically for the prevention of liver cancer.
How microvilli form
Sep. 13, 2018—A protein called IRTKS helps build the microvilli that form the border of cells in the intestines, explaining why the protein is a frequent target of gut pathogens.
Healthy antibodies reverse diabetes
Sep. 13, 2018—Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that IgM-type antibodies appear to play a protective role to prevent the development of type 1 diabetes — and that purified IgM antibodies can reverse the disease.
Unleashing TIGER on small RNAs
Sep. 5, 2018—Vanderbilt investigators have developed a new analytical tool to identify, quantify and analyze small RNAs.
Investigators find that bile acids reduce cocaine reward
Aug. 30, 2018—Bile acids — gut compounds that aid in the digestion of dietary fats — reduce the desire for cocaine, according to a new study by researchers at Vanderbilt and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
YAP after acute kidney injury
Aug. 16, 2018—Activation of the signaling protein YAP may be a target for treating acute kidney injury, which affects up to 20 percent of hospitalized patients.
NIDDK director lauds medical student research contributions
Aug. 16, 2018—Griffin Rodgers, MD, director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), was a special guest during the 10th annual NIDDK Medical Student Research Symposium held earlier this month on the Vanderbilt University campus.
Novel insights on “leaky” gut
Jul. 19, 2018—A protein involved in binding cells together helps maintain the integrity of the intestinal mucosa and plays a protective role in ulcerative colitis.
SMAD4 clue to colon cancer
Jul. 2, 2018—Loss of a gene that is part of the TGF-beta signaling pathway increased inflammation in the colon and was observed in half of human colitis-associated cancers.
Mother knows best
Jul. 2, 2018—The first demonstration of bacterial DNA in mammalian fetal intestinal tissue suggests that the mother’s microbiome moves into the fetal intestine.
Toxin floats on lipid rafts
Apr. 23, 2018—The bacterium H. pylori is a leading cause of stomach cancer, and Vanderbilt researchers are studying how one of its toxins gets into cells.
