Author
Carrasco elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Apr. 29, 2022—The American Academy of Arts and Sciences announced today that Dr. Nancy Carrasco, Joe C. Davis Professor of Biomedical Science and professor and chair of molecular physiology and biophysics, has been elected as one of its new members. Carrasco was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2015 and to the National Academy of...
Ramadan from the inside
Apr. 26, 2022—By Ansari Aleem For me, Ramadan—the month of fasting—is about the Quran, worship, prayer, and generosity. Fasting is one of the pillars of Islam and is mandatory for a healthy adult Muslim. I have been practicing fasting ever since I can remember. For me, fasting is a way to get closer to the Almighty Creator,...
Collaborative research lays groundwork for potential treatment of a rare and deadly type of cancer
Apr. 25, 2022—A collaborative project between the labs of William Tansey, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and professor of cell and developmental biology and biochemistry, and Stephen Fesik, Orrin H. Ingram II Chair in Cancer Research and professor of biochemistry, chemistry and pharmacology, has laid the foundation for pre-clinical and clinical trials for the treatment of rhabdoid...
Prothena and Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery collaborate on new Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics
Apr. 22, 2022—Prothena and the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery have entered into a collaborative research agreement to develop new small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in individuals with Down syndrome. Down syndrome is a condition in which a person’s having a third copy of a specific chromosome causes developmental differences in learning, language...
Basic Sciences members reflect on the 21-day Racial Equity Challenge
Apr. 22, 2022—By Aran Sullivan During February—Black History Month—Basic Sciences community members participated in a 21-day Racial Equity Challenge. Felysha Jenkins, the Basic Sciences diversity, equity, and inclusion program manager, organized the challenge for the Basic Sciences community, using resources from the Debby Irving 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge©. The challenge provides resources to help participants...
Investigating the direct effects of SSNA1 on microtubules
Apr. 19, 2022—By Emily Overway The lab of Marija Žanić, professor of cell and developmental biology, is investigating the regulation of microtubules. Work led by former postdoctoral fellow Elizabeth Lawrence, recently published in eLife, details the role of microtubule-associated protein SSNA1 in microtubule stabilization and damage detection. We sat down with Lawrence to learn more about this...
Remembering Marie Maynard Daly
Apr. 12, 2022—By Chuck Sanders As part of my responsibilities as president of The Protein Society I recently had the pleasure of announcing a new society award: the Marie Maynard Daly Award. Daly was a trailblazer as the first Black woman in the United States to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry (from Columbia University); she also actively...
Attend ‘Survivor: Intersections of Cancer and Mental Health with Ethan Zohn’ on April 26
Apr. 8, 2022—Ethan Zohn, winner of the CBS reality show Survivor, two-time cancer survivor, humanitarian and former professional soccer player, will discuss his journey with reality television, cancer, mental health and humanitarian work as part of the School of Medicine Basic Sciences’ monthly Lab-to-Table Conversations on Tuesday, April 26. The event is free and open to the...
Study advances understanding of bacterial bioterrorism agent
Apr. 8, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers have identified a critical regulatory factor in Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes the disease anthrax and has been used as a biological weapon. The findings, reported in the journal Nature Communications, provide new insights into bacterial gene regulation and may guide novel antibacterial therapeutic strategies. B. anthracis forms dormant spores — the...
New prognosis predictor and target for gastric cancer
Apr. 8, 2022—Treatment resistance is especially pronounced in gastric cancer and contributes to patient mortality, highlighting the need for resensitization strategies. Robert Coffey, MD, Xiaodi Zhao, PhD, and colleagues compared the secretome, or secreted proteins, of chemoresistant and chemosensitive human gastric cancer cell lines to identify biomarkers of resistance. CGA, the alpha-subunit of glycoprotein hormones, was one...