Vanderbilt Institute for Infection Immunology and Inflammation Archives
Vanderbilt researchers discover how gut inflammation leads to bone loss
Aug. 25, 2022—Gastrointestinal inflammation, such as occurs in inflammatory bowel disease, triggers the expansion of a population of “bone-eating” cells, leading to bone loss.
Study describes how E. coli co-opts cells, causes recurrent UTIs
Aug. 25, 2022—Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have discovered why the uropathogenic bacterium E. coli, the leading cause of urinary tract infections, is so tenacious; their findings could lead to new ways to prevent recurrent UTIs.
Mathers Foundation award supports study of crosstalk between skeletal, immune systems
Jul. 7, 2022—Vanderbilt's Jim Cassat, MD, PhD, has received a three-year, $750,000 award from the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation to support research exploring the interplay between bone homeostasis and infectious disease.
Bacterial battle in 3D
Jun. 2, 2022—Using imaging mass spectrometry and microscopy, Vanderbilt researchers visualized how staph bacteria modifies lipids in its membrane to evade immune system-mediated killing.
Study identifies first cellular “chaperone” for zinc, sheds light on worldwide public health problem of zinc deficiency
May. 17, 2022—A team led by Vanderbilt researchers has described and characterized the first zinc metallochaperone: a protein that puts zinc into other “client” proteins.
VUMC team discovers how bacterial pathogen survives without water
May. 5, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers are studying a bacterial pathogen that can survive on hospital surfaces — without water — for months, an ability that has helped it become a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections.
Study advances understanding of bacterial bioterrorism agent
Apr. 7, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers have identified a critical regulatory factor in the bacterium that causes the disease anthrax and has been used as a biological weapon.
Technique hastens COVID-19 antibody discovery
Mar. 10, 2022—Optimization of a technique developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center enables rapid and efficient identification of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against the virus that causes COVID-19.
Impaired neutrophils in autoimmunity
Jan. 27, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers help answer the question of why patients with autoimmune diseases like lupus are more susceptible to bacterial infections: their neutrophils have impaired antibacterial activity.
H. pylori, lipid loss and stomach cancer
Jan. 17, 2022—H. pylori infection — a strong risk factor for stomach cancer — changes the composition of stomach lipids, which could offer new biomarkers for detecting premalignant changes, Vanderbilt researchers discovered.
Salmonella overcomes host resistance
Jan. 13, 2022—The invading pathogen Salmonella, a common cause of food poisoning, can change its metabolism to overcome host resistance to its colonization.
Molecular imaging of C. diff infection
Sep. 30, 2021—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.
