Stephen Doster

by Bill Snyder The tumor suppressor protein p53 is mutated in more than half of all human cancers. Several drugs that potentially can restore mutant p53 to its normal cancer-killing function are in clinical investigation. However, much remains to be learned about various mutations that lead to a “loss of… Read More

by Bill Snyder A monoclonal antibody cocktail against the COVID-19 virus discovered at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and developed by AstraZeneca reduced the risk of symptoms in a study of immunocompromised and chronically ill adults later exposed to the virus by 77%, the company announced today. Based on the… Read More

By Wendy Bindeman Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences is excited to welcome the incoming leadership team for the Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity. IMSD recruits and supports biomedical trainees from backgrounds underrepresented in science during their graduate careers. The program was founded in 1998 by Roger Chalkley, formerly senior… Read More

The Idea Carlos Lopez (Vanderbilt University) Vito Quaranta (Vanderbilt University) Pioneering research from Vanderbilt scientists identifies a measurement system for how well medications work together to help researchers devise new combinations of drugs. It also develops an open-source analysis tool to help speed such discoveries around the world. This research… Read More

By Aaron Conley This summer, Chuck Sanders, associate dean for research, professor of biochemistry, and Aileen M. Lange & Annie Mary Lyle Chair in cardiovascular research at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, took the helm of the Protein Society as president with a term… Read More

Aug. 19, 2021, 11:00 AM by Bill Snyder PON1 (paraoxonase 1), an enzyme associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL), breaks down lipid peroxides, highly reactive fatty molecules that can damage blood vessels. In this way, PON1 can protect against the development of cardiovascular disease. Numerous studies have observed reduced PON1 enzymatic activity in… Read More

THE IDEA Mosquito larvae are surprisingly complex, with a sophisticated sense of smell that enables them to find food, avoid predators and thus become healthy adult mosquitoes with greater ability to transmit disease to humans. While it was previously known that water-dwelling mosquito larvae can taste chemicals in the water,… Read More

Aug. 19, 2021, 10:12 AM   by Bill Snyder A multi-institutional team led by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has isolated monoclonal antibodies that in laboratory and animal studies prevented infection by alphaviruses, including the often-lethal Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV). EEEV, which infects the central nervous system of… Read More

Aug. 11, 2021, 4:10 PM   by Bill Snyder Paige Vega, a PhD student in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt University, has been selected as the 2021 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar. Paige Vega has been selected as the 2021 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar. (photo by Elaine… Read More

Aug. 10, 2021, 9:01 AM   by Bill Snyder Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have found that people recovering from COVID-19 and those vaccinated against the causative virus, SARS-CoV-2, produce identical clones, or groups, of antibody-producing white blood cells. Their discovery, reported this week in the journal Cell… Read More