Research

September 13, 2022

Cancer registries and sarcoma research

The number of sarcoma research studies that use the two largest U.S. cancer registries is increasing, but over one-third of studies that asked the same research question reported conflicting findings.

By Leigh MacMillan
September 12, 2022

Enhancing innate immunity in the lung

Vanderbilt researchers show that a TLR4 agonist improves lung immune response and survival in a mouse model of bacterial pneumonia, supporting the development of this drug to protect against pneumonia in hospitalized patients.

By Leigh MacMillan
September 8, 2022

PheWAS reveals post-COVID-19 diagnoses

Using a high-throughput informatics technique and electronic health records, Vanderbilt researchers found that COVID-19 survivors had an increased risk for more than 40 new diagnoses.

By Bill Snyder
September 8, 2022

Immune cells drive beta cell loss in Type 2 diabetes

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered details of pancreatic beta cell loss — and potential therapeutic targets — during conditions of overnutrition, as occurs in obesity.

By Kelsey Pinckard
Luc Van Kaer, PhD, left, Luke Postoak and colleagues have identified a protein that is key to the “education” of immature T cells in the thymus.
September 1, 2022

Study identifies key player in T cell “education”

New Vanderbilt research could inform therapeutic strategies for enhancing thymic function when desired — such as during aging, recovery from radiation therapy or chemotherapy, or other conditions that reduce T cell output.

By Leigh MacMillan
Eunyoung Choi, PhD, James Goldenring, MD, PhD, and colleagues are studying the development of cancer in the stomach and esophagus.
September 1, 2022

Grant supports research to study gastric cancer origins

Vanderbilt researchers have received $5 million in funding from a new initiative by the National Cancer Institute that aims to define how gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinomas form and evolve at the cellular level.

By Tom Wilemon
August 30, 2022

A new mechanism for lupus

Vanderbilt researchers describe a new mechanism for the most common form of lupus and suggest a new treatment approach to this autoimmune disease.
By Leigh MacMillan
August 29, 2022

Blood cancer progression

Vanderbilt researchers used single-cell technologies to explore the accumulation of mutations during blood cancer progression, which could help identify strategies for preventing leukemia before it occurs.
By Leigh MacMillan
August 25, 2022

New high-tech biobank safeguards critical specimens

By Bill Snyder
August 25, 2022

Vanderbilt researchers discover how gut inflammation leads to bone loss

Gastrointestinal inflammation, such as occurs in inflammatory bowel disease, triggers the expansion of a population of “bone-eating” cells, leading to bone loss.
By Leigh MacMillan
August 25, 2022

Study describes how E. coli co-opts cells, causes recurrent UTIs

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have discovered why the uropathogenic bacterium E. coli, the leading cause of urinary tract infections, is so tenacious; their findings could lead to new ways to prevent recurrent UTIs.
By Bill Snyder
August 25, 2022

Rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease: a common path

An increase in certain antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis can serve as a predictive biomarker for cardiovascular disease, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.
By Bill Snyder
August 25, 2022

Inflammatory driver of obesity

Blocking the EGF receptor signaling pathway in immune system macrophages represents a new target for improving insulin resistance in people with obesity.
By Sarah E. Glass