Vanderbilt Institute for Infection Immunology and Inflammation (VI4)

September 30, 2021

Molecular imaging of C. diff infection

C. difficile — the leading cause of hospital-associated intestinal infections — induces a rapid influx of bile acids into the gut, which could provide a novel target for blocking infection.

By Leigh MacMillan
September 10, 2021

Caught in a web: study reveals that immune cells cooperate to trap and kill bacteria

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a new antibacterial mechanism that could inspire novel strategies for combating staph and other extracellular bacterial pathogens.

By Leigh MacMillan
Artist Anjali Kumari, an undergraduate student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, worked with Vanderbilt PhD student Kelsey Pilewski on this piece that depicts co-infection by two viruses, HIV (blue) and HCV (red), and the evolution of antibodies to combat virus infection.
October 29, 2020

Grant helps expand VI4’s Artist-in-Residence program

An innovative Vanderbilt program that brings together scientists and artists with the shared goal of scientific communication is set to expand with support from a three-year grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

By Leigh MacMillan
September 17, 2020

Probing pathogen antibiotic resistance

Understanding how bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics and host stresses could guide the development of more effective antimicrobial therapeutics.

By Leigh MacMillan
June 10, 2020

C. diff captures blood cell cofactor to build defensive shield

Vanderbilt University Medical Center scientists have identified a C. diff protein system that senses and captures heme (part of hemoglobin) to build a protective shield that fends off threats from our immune system and antibiotics.

By Leigh MacMillan
May 14, 2020

The adaptable anthrax bacterium

Vanderbilt researchers discover how anthrax bacterium defends itself against structural damage and resists the toxicity of the antimicrobial drug targocil.

By Leigh MacMillan
February 27, 2020

Locksley’s Discovery Lecture

Richard Locksley, MD, spoke about his allergic diseases research during his recent Flexner Discovery Lecture. Here, he poses for a photo with VUMC’s Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH.
By VUMC News and Communications
January 13, 2020

Zinc uptake by a deadly pathogen

The increasingly antibiotic-resistant bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii requires zinc to cause infection, and Vanderbilt researchers have identified the zinc uptake system it uses.
By Leigh MacMillan
December 12, 2019

Wexler receives Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Fellowship

Aaron Wexler, PhD, a research fellow in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, has received a Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Fellowship.
By Leigh MacMillan
October 31, 2019

Imaging host-pathogen battle for metal

An unprecedented view of bacterial products within infected tissues opens new opportunities to explore infection biology and devise novel therapeutic strategies.
By Leigh MacMillan
October 8, 2019

New leadership appointments for Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

By Bill Snyder
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
June 28, 2018

New staph virulence factor

Jun. 28, 2018—The new factor, an enzyme involved in host-pathogen interactions, may be a viable target for treating staph infections.
By Leigh MacMillan
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