Research

July 29, 2021

Vanderbilt Prize winner Doudna advocates caution in human germline editing

It is now possible to “edit” the human germline — the genetic cargo carried in sperm and eggs and which is passed to the next generation — in a way that snips out the mutations which cause inherited disease.

By Bill Snyder
July 27, 2021

Prediction models for breast cancer

Vanderbilt researchers developed new prognostic models for breast cancer outcomes and found that adding postdiagnostic weight change as a factor improves the prediction.

By Leigh MacMillan
July 26, 2021

Mood and cognition after chemotherapy

Validation of cognitive complaints appears to improve mood in patients with persistent chemotherapy-cognitive impairment, Vanderbilt researchers report.

By Emily Stembridge
Madison Adolph, PhD, left, David Cortez, PhD, and Archana Krishnamoorthy are studying fundamental processes involved in DNA replication.
July 22, 2021

Researchers discover that protein switches functions to regulate DNA replication

Vanderbilt biochemists have discovered what the DNA damage response protein RADX does — and how it does it.

By Leigh MacMillan
From left, Dan Roden, MD, Ayesha Muhammad, Jonathan Mosley, MD, PhD, and Sara Van Driest, MD, PhD, found that a genome-wide approach can improve the prediction of drug responses.
July 22, 2021

For more precise drug treatments, ‘squeeze’ the genome: study finds

Large-scale studies will be required to identify the complexity of genetic variations that affect how patients respond to a given drug and whether they will have side effects, according to researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

By Bill Snyder
July 22, 2021

Influenza network sizes up COVID

Hospital data from a CDC network that monitors influenza revealed that adults hospitalized for COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic were 20x more likely to die compared to hospitalized influenza patients.

By Paul Govern
July 16, 2021

Study identifies monoclonal antibodies that may neutralize many norovirus variants

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, have taken a big step toward developing targeted treatments and vaccines against a family of viruses that attacks the gastrointestinal tract.
By Bill Snyder
July 12, 2021

Probing statin-associated diseases with genetics

Vanderbilt researchers used genetics tools and biobanks with linked electronic health records to explore the associations between statins and noncardiovascular diseases.
By Leigh MacMillan
July 8, 2021

Nature’s “recycler” could reduce heart disease risk: study

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified potential new targets for the prevention of atherosclerosis through the enhancement of autophagy, a natural process for recycling damaged cellular material.
By Bill Snyder
July 8, 2021

Study finds genetic risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness

A massive worldwide collaboration including researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has identified several genetic factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 illness.
By Bill Snyder
July 8, 2021

Delirium and mortality reexamined

A multicenter study of ICU patients found that in the hospital, delirium was associated with a nearly three-fold increase in risk of death the following day, but after discharge there was no association between delirium and mortality.
By Paul Govern
July 8, 2021

Genetics of hydrocephalus

Fluid build-up in the brain — hydrocephalus — increases pressure and risk for brain damage; Vanderbilt researchers have now identified genes and signaling pathways associated with the condition.
By Leigh MacMillan
July 7, 2021

Nobel laureate Doudna set for next Discovery Lecture

Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, PhD, winner of the 2020 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science, will deliver the next web-based Discovery Lecture on Thursday, July 22.
By Bill Snyder