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By Alexandra Scammell The School of Medicine Basic Sciences consists of a remarkable community that is dedicated to advancing the study of human biology, health, and disease. In addition to the award-winning faculty and students who are at the forefront of our cutting-edge research, a large part of our school’s… Read More

By Herschel Pollard, edited by Marissa Shapiro and Lorena Infante Lara Vanderbilt University has received an $8.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to establish the Vanderbilt AUD Research and Education Center, bolstering the university’s leadership in neuroscience, addiction research, and innovative approaches to the study of alcohol… Read More

By Emily Hawes and Lorena Infante Lara The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences encompasses four departments: Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Pharmacology. Through this article series, we are featuring each one, highlighting their proudest accomplishments, unique strengths,… Read More

Dean John Kuriyan (Photo by John Russell) Dear Alums and Friends, In the previous issue of Vestigo, we paused to look back at 150 years of innovative research. In this issue, we look ahead to new and amazing research breakthroughs coming out of our laboratories and their potential impact in… Read More

Acanthamoeba can cause diseases blinding keratitis, an infection of the eye, or granulomatous amebic encephalitis, a generally fatal infection of the brain and spinal cord. Antifungals that target the biosynthesis of fungal sterols, such as ergosterol, are often used as treatment, but the Acanthamoeba ergosterol biosynthetic pathway has been shown to differ significantly from that found in fungi. Read More

Cryo-ET suffers from the “missing wedge” problem: as samples become more tilted, their thickness at the extremes is increased and sample penetration decreases. William Wan and collaborators describe the creation of a new subtomogram averaging package called STOPGAP. Read More

Ken Lau, professor of cell and developmental biology, will receive a one-year research award from the Stanley Cohen Innovation Fund. This work will propel Vanderbilt forward as a leader in the field by leveraging novel technology to develop customized sequencing-based assays of cell-associated components at the single-cell resolution. Read More

By Emily Overway Marija Žanić, Ph.D. 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… Read More

The Department of Biochemistry is nestled within the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, but even though Basic Sciences was only established in 2015, the biochemistry department has been an integral part of Vanderbilt since its foundation in 1925. Today, the department pushes forward by focusing on hiring exceptional faculty, developing its research infrastructure, and continually improving its training environment. Read More