Research

May 31, 2024

VUMC-led team reports potential new way to stimulate weight loss

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System have demonstrated in a small clinical study that “turning up the heat” on fat may help people lose weight and reduce their risk of obesity-related cardiovascular and metabolic disease.

By Bill Snyder
May 31, 2024

Antibodies may aid effort to fight influenza B: study

The findings reported in the journal Immunity support the development of a monoclonal antibody for prevention and treatment of influenza B — and will help guide efforts to develop a universal influenza vaccine.

By Bill Snyder
May 30, 2024

NIH awards $4.2 million for AI patient assessment

Tkaczyk and collaborators will assemble a database of more than 11,000 photographs and associated clinical information from diverse patient populations at five centers: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, NIH, University of Pennsylvania and VUMC.

By Paul Govern
Abigail Lindsey Rich talks about her research poster with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center director Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD. (photo by Donn Jones)
May 30, 2024

Speakers share history of hereditary cancers at scientific retreat 

Speakers at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center 25th Annual Scientific Retreat detailed the history of hereditary cancer discoveries and gave overviews about ongoing research. 

By Tom Wilemon
Kristin O’Grady, PhD, in the 3T MRI suite at Vanderbilt University Hospital. (photo by Susan Urmy)
May 29, 2024

Kristin O’Grady receives $2.4 million for multiple sclerosis imaging studies

The awards will support O’Grady’s application of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging to better understand symptoms and track MS progression in the lower spinal cord.

By Bill Snyder
(iStock image)
May 28, 2024

Jennifer Gordetsky honored for her history of urology research

Jennifer Gordetsky, MD, believes the most important part of medical history is making sure our mistakes are not forgotten

By Bill Snyder
May 21, 2024

NIH grant supports effort to build expertise in genetic epidemiology research in Vietnam

V2-GENE, the Vanderbilt-Vietnam Genetic Epidemiology Training Program, will develop a team of researchers and educators to lead genetic epidemiology research of noncommunicable diseases across the lifespan in Vietnam.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 17, 2024

Six Vanderbilt Faculty Research Scholars named

Six junior faculty and postdoctoral fellows have been appointed this year to the Vanderbilt Faculty Research Scholars (VFRS) program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
By Bill Snyder
May 15, 2024

Treatment-resistant depression linked to body mass index: study

Genetic factors are a small but significant contributor to severe depression that does not respond to standard therapy, according to researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital.
By Bill Snyder
May 14, 2024

Breast cancer risk variants identified for women of African ancestry

A study led by researchers from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center sheds light on some of the genetic variants that make breast cancer more deadly for women of African ancestry and significantly reduces the disparity in knowledge for assessing their genomic risk factors.
By Tom Wilemon
May 13, 2024

Training grant builds research ethics capacity for genetic and genomic research in Nigeria

The long-standing partnership between Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH) and collaborators Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) and Bayero University (BUK) is poised to address the growing demand for research in precision medicine in Africa.
By Kristin Centers
May 8, 2024

Supercomputing redesign of a COVID monoclonal antibody

The approach, which combines high-performance computing, simulation, machine learning and experimental validation, will help keep antibody drugs up to date in the future against highly variable viruses.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 7, 2024

Study seeks to evaluate military exposures on veterans’ lung cancer risk 

A prospective cohort of veterans including those with military toxic exposures, such as burn pits, will be screened annually with low-dose chest CT to detect lung cancer and other disease early.
By Tom Wilemon