Research

bright yellow water pump
March 16, 2017

Study catches ‘notorious’ drug pump in action

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have mapped the conformational changes that occur in a protein “notorious” for pumping chemotherapeutic drugs out of cancer cells and blocking medications from reaching the central nervous system.

By Bill Snyder
March 16, 2017

Esophageal cancer complexities

New findings that reveal complex interactions in esophageal adenocarcinoma could lead to diagnostic, prognostic or therapeutic biomarkers.

By VUMC News and Communications
March 9, 2017

Melanoma study finds new way to enhance targeted therapies

With the help of a drug formerly used to treat HIV/AIDS, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have found a way to make melanoma cells more vulnerable to targeted anti-cancer therapy.

By Bill Snyder
A stack of blue and red
March 2, 2017

Investigators seek new way to define cell identity

Vanderbilt researchers hope their new method to describe cells will be widely adopted and used to generate a “Who’s Who” database of cell types.

By Leigh MacMillan
February 23, 2017

Team identifies ‘switch’ involved in DNA replication  

DNA replication is an extraordinarily complex multi-step process that makes copies of the body’s genetic blueprint. It is necessary for growth and essential to life. Now researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Vanderbilt University have found evidence that one of those steps may involve the telephone-like transmission of electrical signals regulated by a chemical “switch.”

By Bill Snyder
February 23, 2017

A target to heal tiny lungs

The protein beta-catenin may be a good target for therapies to treat lung disease that is a common complication of preterm birth.

By Leigh MacMillan
February 21, 2017

Laughing gas for labor

Although nitrous oxide was less effective than epidural anesthesia for pain management during labor, mothers who used nitrous oxide were equally satisfied with their childbirth experience.
By Sanjay Mishra
February 9, 2017

Team isolates new antibodies that may aid RSV vaccine design

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have taken another step toward developing a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the major cause of life-threatening pneumonia in infants worldwide.
By Bill Snyder
February 8, 2017

Social risk factors influence outcomes, Medicare payment

Social risk factors including income, education and ethnic background influence health outcomes and should be taken into account in Medicare payment models, according to a New England Journal of Medicine “Perspective” titled “Social Risk Factors and Equity in Medicare Payment.”
By Craig Boerner
February 3, 2017

Bacterial signaling systems

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a unique example of communication between bacterial signaling systems, which may have relevance for antibiotic resistance.
By Leigh MacMillan
February 2, 2017

Gene mutation discovery may hold autism clues: study

Researchers at Vanderbilt have identified what may be a genetic “smoking gun” for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) — a mutation in the gene for the critical neuronal protein CaMKII.
By Bill Snyder
February 2, 2017

Study finds smaller insurers earning profits in new market

The researchers examine whether the financial struggles of some major insurers under the Affordable Care Act reflect a policy failure or a mismatch of these firms’ capabilities and strategies to a newly created market.
By Craig Boerner
January 26, 2017

Automation speeds clinical safety surveillance: study

Using patient outcomes data from approximately 1,800 hospitals, the largest demonstration to date of automated safety surveillance of a medical device is reported in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine.
By Paul Govern