Stephen Doster

By Suneethi Sivakumaran Proposed mechanism of skin barrier formation. SDR9C7-catalyzed oxidation of linoleate in ceramides is required for covalent binding to the protein matrix and sealing of the water permeability barrier. Diagram courtesy of Alan Brash. Human skin has three major layers: epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. Epidermis is the outermost… Read More

By Lorena Infante Lara Vanderbilt University has a new program focused on the study of extracellular vesicles (EV). Alissa Weaver, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair and Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and of Pathology Microbiology and Immunology, will direct the Vanderbilt Program for Extracellular Vesicle Research. Weaver, an… Read More

By Cassandra Awgulewitsch   A 3D drawing of a B cell. From Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014”. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. Reproduced under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Kristy Stengel, a postdoc in… Read More

Dec. 5, 2019, 10:34 AM by John Howser Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, Cornelius Abernathy Craig Professor of Medicine and director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, has been named as interim chair of the Department of Medicine in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Her appointment is effective Jan. Read More

Dec. 4, 2019, 1:00 PM Patrick Hu, MD, PhD, identified a previously unknown step in insulin synthesis, providing new clues to diabetes pathogenesis. (photos by Susan Urmy) by Leigh MacMillan The identification of a protein important for insulin synthesis may hold clues for understanding the pathogenesis of diabetes. Although the… Read More

Nov. 27, 2019, 9:30 AM   by Bill Snyder Learned fear responses enable animals — including humans — to flee or freeze in the face of a perceived threat. But if these behaviors persist after the danger lifts, they can become paralyzing and disabling. That’s a key element of posttraumatic… Read More

By Jaime Jensen An artist’s rendering of the pore-forming action of a C. difficile binary toxin. Courtesy of the artist. Eve Moll 2019. This article originally appeared in the Nature Research Microbiology Community blog. The bacterium Clostridioides* difficile (C. diff) has been called many things: a superbug,… Read More

Neil Osheroff, Professor of Biochemistry and Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, was recently elected President of the International Association of Medical Science Educators. The IAMSE is a nonprofit professional development society organized and directed by health professions educators whose goals include promoting excellence and innovation in teaching, student assessment, program evaluation, instructional… Read More

Occasional binge drinking isn’t uncommon, but about 30 percent of all adults exposed to alcohol go on to engage in compulsive drinking behaviors despite negative effects and consequences – a major feature of alcohol use disorder. For years, researchers have sought answers as to why alcohol produces such radically different… Read More

Study explores potential new class of antidepressants Nov. 21, 2019, 11:10 AM Max Joffe, PhD, left, P. Jeffrey Conn, PhD, and colleagues are studying a new class of antidepressants that may relieve symptoms more rapidly and with fewer side effects. (photo by Joe Howell) by Bill Snyder Researchers at Vanderbilt… Read More