Research

From left, Sheila Collins, PhD, Ryan Ceddia, PhD, and Heidi Hamm, PhD, and their colleagues have identified a potential new approach to reducing the global impact of obesity and diabetes. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
September 6, 2023

Releasing a brake that drives obesity and diabetes

Vanderbilt researchers have uncovered a potential new way to help curb the rapidly rising worldwide prevalence of metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes.

By Bill Snyder
September 6, 2023

Update: Dame Frances Ashcroft to deliver Sept. 14 Vanderbilt Prize Lecture

Renowned diabetes expert Professor Dame Frances Ashcroft, recipient of the 2023 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science, will deliver her Vanderbilt Prize Discovery Lecture at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, in 208 Light Hall.

By Bill Snyder
Heather Pua, MD, PhD, and Neil Sprenkle, PhD, have discovered a protective role for microRNAs in immune cell macrophages during obesity, potentially opening new therapeutic avenues.
September 5, 2023

MicroRNAs in immune cells help protect against metabolic defects in obesity: study

Vanderbilt researchers have demonstrated that a cluster of microRNAs — small pieces of RNA that regulate gene expression — work in a type of immune cells called macrophages to help protect against metabolic defects in obesity.

By Leigh MacMillan
Houra Merrikh and Juan Carvajal-Garcia, PhD, are studying how to prevent cancer therapy resistance. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
September 1, 2023

Foundation funds research to block drug resistance in cancer treatment

The Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation has funded an ambitious initiative to overcome one of the most perplexing and frustrating mysteries of cancer treatment — how to prevent drug resistance.

By Tom Wilemon
August 31, 2023

New reference tool supports replication of DNA biobank studies

Vanderbilt researchers created a phenotype-genotype reference map to assess data quality in DNA biobanks.

By Paul Govern
August 24, 2023

Predicting postop opioid use

VUMC study finds that preoperative patient characteristics can predict daily opioid use at six months after surgery, suggesting opportunities for development of electronic risk-stratification algorithms.

By Paul Govern
August 21, 2023

Study reveals genomic code for sepsis in the lungs and kidneys

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Nashville Veterans Affairs Medical Center have “cracked” the genomic code for sepsis in the lungs and kidneys.
By Bill Snyder
August 16, 2023

Artificial intelligence innovator John Jumper to deliver Aug. 30 Apex Lecture

John Jumper, who led the development of AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence system that can predict the three-dimensional structure of proteins, will give the next Apex Lecture on Wednesday, Aug. 30.
By Bill Snyder
August 15, 2023

Algorithm scours health records for lung cancer risk

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a computer algorithm that scans electronic health records, or EHRs, to identify patients who meet criteria for lung cancer screening.
By Paul Govern
August 15, 2023

Study finds most infants receiving ICU-level care for RSV had no underlying medical condition

A Vanderbilt study found that most infants admitted to the intensive care or high acuity unit for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections during fall 2022 were previously healthy and born at term.
By Jessica Pasley
August 8, 2023

Chronic complications from immunotherapies more prevalent and persistent than previously shown among melanoma survivors

A Vanderbilt study has found that chronic immunotherapy-related complications are more prevalent and persistent than previously shown among melanoma survivors.
By Tom Wilemon
August 3, 2023

Study finds hallmarks of T cell exhaustion within hours of tumor exposure

Vanderbilt researchers found that T cells become “exhausted” within hours of encountering a tumor, challenging existing ideas about how T cells become dysfunctional.
By Leigh MacMillan
August 2, 2023

Personalizing treatment for sinus syndrome

Understanding the inflammatory characteristics of subtypes of chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps should assist with selection of effective therapies, Vanderbilt researchers report.
By Leigh MacMillan