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Since it began 16 years ago, the Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy (VSSA) has provided research experiences for roughly 2,000 undergraduates from colleges around the country. Nearly half are members of under-represented minority groups; many are the first in their families to pursue graduate or medical degrees. Hailing from diverse backgrounds,… Read More

Microtubule organization is essential for various biological processes ranging from cell division to intracellular transport. Microtubules are polymers of tubulin protein that assemble into two basic cellular architectures: bundles and asters. In contrast to bundle formation, the molecular mechanisms underlying aster formation are poorly understood. Marija Zanic, PhD, Ryoma Ohi, PhD, and their colleagues… Read More

The proteins that copy DNA are not perfect. Luckily, our cells can fix broken DNA via a process called homologous recombination repair, which involves proteins like RAD51. RAD51 helps protect DNA from being degraded by cell enzymes as it is copied. David Cortez, PhD, and colleagues reportedlast month in the journal Cell Reports that… Read More

Basement membrane (BM) is an evolutionarily ancient sheet-like scaffold that wraps around most animal tissues. BM protects and provides mechanical stiffness to tissues and regulates development, function, and repair. But how it is repaired after being damaged is poorly understood. Now in a study published in the journal Matrix Biology, Andrea Page-McCaw, PhD, and colleagues have… Read More

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has awarded 2018 Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study to three Vanderbilt University doctoral students and their advisers. The fellowship was created to ensure that a diverse and highly trained workforce is prepared to assume leadership roles in the sciences. The program approaches this by supporting promising… Read More

Dueling Proteins Control Replication Fork Stability A variety of cell stressors may stall the process of DNA replication, and failure to resolve the problem and resume normal progression of the replication fork may lead to DNA damage and/or even cell death. Stalling of the replication fork results in… Read More

Evolutionarily conserved transport proteins, such as those belonging to the multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) superfamily, protect cells against toxic chemicals and contribute to multidrug resistance in cancer and bacterial cells. Understanding how such transporters harness the energy of ion gradients to facilitate drug export is critical in developing novel anti-cancer… Read More

Interstrand DNA cross-links (ICLs) — chemical bonds that join the two strands of DNA — are a toxic form of DNA damage. ICLs block both replication and transcription, triggering cell death. Drugs that introduce ICLs, such as mitomycin C, are used as chemotherapeutic agents. ICLs are known to be repaired by… Read More

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is widely thought to protect against the development of atherosclerosis, yet drugs that raise levels of HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) have failed to reduce the risk of heart disease. Recent evidence suggests that HDL function is more important than HDL-C levels in lowering risk. Isolevuglandins (IsoLGs) are… Read More

Vanderbilt University has signed a licensing agreement with Nashville-based start-up Appello Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to advance novel compounds developed by researchers in the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (VCNDD) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The drug-like molecules bind to mGluR4, a glutamate receptor that is highly expressed… Read More