Research News And Discoveries

Meet Mary Waddell, administrative coordinator for the Center for Computational Systems Biology at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences. Read More

Yi Ren, associate professor of biochemistry at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, delivered a School of Medicine Basic Sciences Kairos Lecture focused on mRNA export during normal conditions or viral infections. Read More

Larry Marnett, a pioneer of the bioactive lipid research field, has received the inaugural Honn-McGiff Lifetime Achievement Award from the Eicosanoid Research Foundation and the Winter Eicosanoid Conference. Read More

Sezen Meydan, assistant professor of biochemistry, has been awarded a prestigious NIH Director’s New Innovator Award to study disomes, ribosome collision complexes. Read More

Assistant Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Rafael Arrojo e Drigo will receive the 2027 Richard E. Weitzman Outstanding Early Career Investigator Award, one of the prestigious Laureate Awards from the international Endocrine Society. He is being recognized for innovative research that “has transformed our understanding of thyroid hormone biology, diabetes, and the biology of aging.” Read More

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Chief Data Scientist and Senior Vice President for Data Science M. Madan Babu will present the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences Apex Lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. Read More

Research into an aging paradox reveals details on why certain dysfunctions in mitochondria can lead animals to live longer lives. The work, by Department of Cell and Developmental Biology researchers, shows that calcium signaling in another organelle and cell cytoskeleton restructuring are key to why these animals age more slowly. Read More

This fall, new biomedical Ph.D. pathway students arrived at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences to begin their graduate school journeys. A week of orientation and info sessions provided them with more than an introduction to programs, policies, and research opportunities—it marked the beginning of a shared experience: discovering new questions, finding mentors, and becoming part of the SOMBS community that is dedicated to advancing biomedical science. Read More

A dozen Vanderbilt trainees with a breadth of biomedical backgrounds and career interests visited biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, innovation spaces, and life sciences organizations in Boston, Massachusetts, over three days through the latest iteration of the ASPIRE on the Road program. Read More

Graduate student Lijun “Reese” Guo in the lab of Quynh Anh Nguyen has received a 2026 Predoctoral Research Fellowship from the American Epilepsy Society to investigate how inhibitory circuits in a small, understudied region of the brain regulate seizure activity. The fellowship will support Guo’s research and advanced training as he works toward a better understanding of the neural circuitry underlying epilepsy. Read More