Research

firefighters battle a wildfire
October 13, 2016

EGF receptor found to regulate macrophage inflammation in gut

Researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine have uncovered a link between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling and the inflammatory response to bacterial infection in the gastrointestinal tract.

By Bill Snyder
zinc pill on spoon over white background
September 26, 2016

Study shows excess dietary zinc worsens C. diff infection

Too much dietary zinc increases susceptibility to infection by Clostridium difficile — “C. diff” — the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections.

By Leigh MacMillan
drawing of trojan horse
September 8, 2016

Investigators create ‘Trojan Horse’ to fight Ebola

A multi-center research team including scientists from the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center has come up with a clever “Trojan Horse” strategy for thwarting the highly lethal Ebola virus.

By Bill Snyder
August 15, 2016

In search of new asthma therapies

A peptide molecule relaxes airway smooth muscle and may be a potential therapeutic for asthma that has become resistant to standard therapies.

By Leigh MacMillan
August 12, 2016

New culprit in nerve degeneration

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that regulation of cell volume plays a role in nerve degeneration and peripheral neuropathies.

By Leigh MacMillan
goofy toy disguise
August 11, 2016

Research team takes aim at Ebola virus ‘decoy protein’

Using an antibody generated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center that neutralizes the Ebola virus, researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, have determined the structure of a “decoy” protein that may enable the virus to evade detection by the immune system.

By Bill Snyder
August 11, 2016

Study explores low oxygen’s impact on antibody quality

Hypoxia (lack of enough oxygen) is bad for the body as a whole, but in the neighborhood where infection-fighting antibodies arise, may be important for keeping proper order.
By Bill Snyder
August 11, 2016

Study reveals neurotransmitter glutamate’s molecular structure

Terunaga Nakagawa, with colleagues from Japan and Oxford University in England, has discovered the bridgelike molecular structure of a mysterious glutamate receptor.
By Bill Snyder
August 3, 2016

Fetal impact of antidepressants

Antidepressant use during pregnancy is common. Fetal exposure to the class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is associated with the life-threatening condition PPHN (persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn), but a causal link has not been established.
By Leigh MacMillan
July 28, 2016

Marrow cells’ role in pulmonary hypertension explored

Cells from the bone marrow participate in the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and they can also protect against it, according to new findings from a team of Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators.
By Leigh MacMillan
June 6, 2016

Pulmonary fibrosis culprits

New findings identify isoketal-modified proteins as a previously unrecognized feature of pulmonary fibrosis and as a potential therapeutic target for this disease.
By Leigh MacMillan
June 2, 2016

New software tracks cancer mutations, survival

A team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has developed and tested software that scans electronic health records in real time to monitor cancer patient survival (from time of diagnosis) according to which genes, if any, are found to carry mutations.
By Paul Govern
May 17, 2016

Study finds menthol cigarettes do not further increase smokers’ cardiovascular disease, stroke risk

Smoking is deleterious to health, but smokers who prefer menthol cigarettes to nonmenthol can breathe a sigh of relief…for now.
By Kathy Whitney