NSF Archives
Temperature, newts and a skin-eating fungus
Mar. 8, 2021—Salamanders are more sensitive to a skin-eating fungus at colder temperatures, pointing to locations of North America where pathogen invasion is most likely.
Frog peptides as anti-HIV microbicides
Nov. 2, 2020—Peptides derived from the antimicrobial peptides secreted by frogs could function as microbicides to limit HIV transmission, while sparing protective vaginal bacteria.
Depression and the brain-age gap
Oct. 19, 2020—Older depressed adults show accelerated brain aging, according to a new study from Vanderbilt researchers, who suggest that the effects of depression may speed the decline in cognitive functions in older individuals.
How to fake a medical record
Nov. 4, 2019—Simulated electronic health records could avoid patient privacy risks and help speed discovery.
Microscopic spines connect worm neurons
Oct. 17, 2019—Worm neurons have microscopic “spines” — where nerve-to-nerve communication happens — that share features with mammalian neurons, supporting the use of worms to study spine genetics and biology.
Breast cancer-killing RIG
Dec. 13, 2018—A compound that activates a virus-sensing receptor has potent therapeutic effects in a mouse model of breast cancer.
Vanderbilt’s Gavin Price receives NSF CAREER Award
Mar. 20, 2018—The National Science Foundation has awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Grant to Gavin R. Price, assistant professor of psychology at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College.
Cell signals that trigger wound healing are surprisingly complex
Oct. 3, 2017—Vanderbilt scientists have taken an important step toward understanding the way in which injured cells trigger wound healing, an insight essential for improving treatments of all types of wounds.
A new mode of DNA repair
Apr. 14, 2017—Structural details of a protein that removes DNA lesions shed light on fundamental mechanisms of DNA repair.
Organ-on-a-chip mimics heart’s biomechanical properties
Feb. 22, 2017—Scientists at Vanderbilt University have created a three-dimensional organ-on-a-chip that can mimic the heart’s amazing biomechanical properties in order to study cardiac disease, develop heart drugs.
Softening tumor tissue could aid cancer treatments
Jan. 16, 2017—Tumors cause the intracellular material surrounding them to stiffen. Softening this protective layer could make existing cancer treatments more effective, according to new research.
Targeting the “un-targetable”
Nov. 18, 2016—A novel drug that targets the protein RSK blocked aggressive breast cancers from metastasizing in an animal model.