VI4 Archives
Commensal gut bacterium protects from severe intestinal infection
Nov. 21, 2023— The commensal bacterium Turicibacter sanguinis could be used to protect against severe intestinal infections, Vanderbilt researchers discovered.
Novel C. diff structures are required for infection, offer new therapeutic targets
Nov. 15, 2023—Vanderbilt research discovers that iron storage “spheres” inside the bacterium C. diff — the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections — are important for infection in an animal model and could offer new targets for antibacterial drugs.
Educational event zooms in on complex world of microbes
Sep. 29, 2023—More than 100 children and their families attended the sixth annual MEGAMicrobe community science recently at Gower Elementary School in Nashville.
VI4 Artist-in-Residence exhibition opens Aug. 7
Jul. 28, 2023—The Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation Artist-in-Residence Program (VI4-AiR) invites the public to the opening celebration of its “Molecular Muse” exhibition Aug. 7 at the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery.
Study details RNA editing in virus-infected cancer cells
Apr. 20, 2023—Vanderbilt researchers detail the landscape of RNA editing — a form of RNA modification — in primary effusion lymphoma cells during Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection and identify an edited viral microRNA that is critical for infection.
Mathers Foundation award supports study of bacterial physiology
Mar. 23, 2023—Vanderbilt's Wenhan Zhu, PhD, has received a three-year award from the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation to support his research that aims to answer a fundamental question about bacterial physiology and engineer probiotics to improve gut inflammatory diseases.
E. coli uses serine to abide acidity
Mar. 23, 2023—Vanderbilt researchers have discovered another acid resistance mechanism for UTI-causing E. coli, laying the foundation for targeted antibacterial therapies.
Probing hellbender health
Feb. 20, 2023—Understanding how hellbenders — large, fully aquatic salamanders — fight fungal pathogens and disease is important for protecting these unique stream predators; Vanderbilt researchers add new insights.
Study identifies potential new approach for treating lupus
Jan. 13, 2023—A Vanderbilt study found that targeting iron metabolism in immune system cells may offer a new approach for treating systemic lupus erythematosus — the most common form of the chronic autoimmune disease lupus.
Study identifies key player in T cell “education”
Sep. 1, 2022—New Vanderbilt research could inform therapeutic strategies for enhancing thymic function when desired — such as during aging, recovery from radiation therapy or chemotherapy, or other conditions that reduce T cell output.
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.