Research

May 18, 2023

Billing codes aid lupus diagnosis

Vanderbilt researchers used billing codes in electronic health records to develop a “phenotype risk score” that identified established and undiagnosed people with lupus.

By Bill Snyder
From left are Kathy Gould, PhD, Vanderbilt Prize recipient Ruth Lehmann, PhD, Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar Catherine Shelton and John Kuriyan, PhD.
May 18, 2023

Vanderbilt Prize lecture highlights diversity, mentoring

Ruth Lehmann, PhD, director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, delivered last week’s Vanderbilt Prize Discovery Lecture.

By Bill Snyder
May 18, 2023

New view of mutations informs disease risk, treatment response

A transcontinental research effort led by scientists from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Michigan has upended some long-standing assumptions about mutations — how often they occur, what causes them and what they do.

By Bill Snyder
May 11, 2023

Genomic analysis of SCLC tumors reveals subtypes, offers cues toward personalized treatments

The largest genomic analysis ever conducted of small cell lung cancer tumors (SCLC) has identified genetic subtypes and provided insights into the mechanisms of this aggressive and deadly cancer.

By Tom Wilemon
May 9, 2023

Neural networks probe proteins

A machine learning method based on neural networks outperformed a mutational scanning model at identifying disease-causing mutations in an Alzheimer’s disease protein, suggesting the method could be useful for facilitating therapeutic design.

By Leigh MacMillan
May 8, 2023

Diabetes drugs associated with fewer adverse cardiac events in older veterans: study

Vanderbilt research finds that GLP1 receptor agonists — a class of diabetes medications — are associated with fewer major adverse cardiovascular events than another type of diabetes drug (DPP4 inhibitors) in older veterans with no prior heart disease.

By Leigh MacMillan
May 8, 2023

Improved imaging for kidney disease

Vanderbilt researchers identified optimal MRI parameters for estimating the severity of polycystic kidney disease, a common inherited disorder that can lead to end-stage renal failure.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 4, 2023

VUMC to coordinate national effort to reduce ARDS, pneumonia, sepsis

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a $31.6 million federal grant to lead a national effort to better understand acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia and sepsis.
By Bill Snyder
May 4, 2023

Tracking lung macrophages

A new technique will allow researchers to track subsets of immune cells that patrol and defend the lungs, to better understand the roles of these cells during lung inflammation, infection and injury.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 4, 2023

Better adenoma detection

Fluorescent nanoparticles clearly identified colonic adenomas — precursors to colorectal cancer — in mice, and the formulation should translate to clinical use in humans.
By Sarah E. Glass
May 3, 2023

Vanderbilt mourns loss of former Gastroenterology director Burk

Raymond Burk Jr., MD, former director of the Vanderbilt's Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, died May 1 in Nashville. He was 80.
By Bill Snyder
May 1, 2023

Study highlights risks for self-harm events in children and adolescents

A Vanderbilt study has identified four separate profiles to help medical professionals better assess children at elevated risk for a self-harm event.
By Jessica Pasley
April 27, 2023

Researchers honored at American Physiology Summit

Three faculty members and five postdoctoral fellows at Vanderbilt University Medical Center received research honors last week from the American Physiological Society during its 2023 American Physiology Summit.
By Bill Snyder