Vanderbilt Genetics Institute

April 1, 2025

Integrative approach reveals key inflammatory drivers of severe obesity

Severe obesity — a condition of being 100 pounds or more overweight — has doubled in the United States over the past two decades to 9.2%, with the greatest increases among women and Latino populations.

By Leigh MacMillan
Jennifer (Piper) Below, PhD. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
March 19, 2025

Jennifer Below named director of Vanderbilt Genetics Institute

The Vanderbilt Genetics Institute is the intellectual hub for genomics research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University.

By John Howser
October 30, 2024

Genetic risk, sexual trauma associated with mental illness: study

Evaluating how genetic risk interacts with environmental risk factors such as sexual trauma is important for understanding how mental illness develops and identifying high-risk groups for early intervention.

By Leigh MacMillan
Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, and Nancy Cox, PhD. (photo by Donn Jones)
September 25, 2024

Alexander Bick named head of Genetic Medicine

Bick will succeed Nancy Cox, PhD, who has led Genetic Medicine since she came to VUMC in 2015. Genetic Medicine is one of 13 divisions in the Department of Medicine.

By Bill Snyder
(iStock image)
May 1, 2024

Study finds 500 new blood pressure genes

An analysis of the genomes of more than 1 million people of European ancestry, conducted by several of the world’s leading genomic centers, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has identified more than 2,000 independent genetic signals for blood pressure.

By Bill Snyder
(iStock image)
April 9, 2024

Heart disease, depression linked by inflammation: study

Coronary artery disease and major depression may be genetically linked via inflammatory pathways to an increased risk for cardiomyopathy, a degenerative heart muscle disease, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital have found.

By Bill Snyder
March 12, 2024

Genetic Counseling Research Symposium debuts on April 5

The Master of Genetic Counseling degree program at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine will hold its first Genetic Counseling Research Symposium April 5 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in room 202, Light Hall.
By Bill Snyder
November 10, 2023

After 40 years, genetics still surprises VUMC’s Nancy Cox

As she looks back on her 40-plus year career, what surprises Nancy Cox, PhD, an internationally known geneticist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is how much progress has been made, and yet how much more there is to learn about the role genetic variation plays in human disease.
By Bill Snyder
October 3, 2023

Research fellowship for genetic counselors established at Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine has received a grant to establish a research fellowship for genetic counselors that will prepare them to contribute more fully to the advancement of personalized medicine.
By Bill Snyder
October 2, 2023

New “DNA” podcast season explores how to harness change, ideas to improve business and medicine

Go to your favorite podcast channel right now to subscribe and listen to the first episode of Season 4!
By Holly Fletcher
July 26, 2023

Nancy Cox receives American Society of Human Genetics Leadership Award

Nancy Cox, PhD, director of the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, is the recipient of the 2023 ASHG Leadership Award from the American Society of Human Genetics.
By Bill Snyder
May 9, 2023

Neural networks probe proteins

A machine learning method based on neural networks outperformed a mutational scanning model at identifying disease-causing mutations in an Alzheimer’s disease protein, suggesting the method could be useful for facilitating therapeutic design.
By Leigh MacMillan
April 20, 2023

Genetics and chronic pain

Polygenic risk scores — scores that reflect the influence of common genetic variants — could be used to predict the likelihood of developing chronic overlapping pain conditions and guide biomarker and targeted prevention efforts.
By Bill Snyder
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