News & Discoveries
‘Reconcilable Differences: A Conversation About Religion and Science’
Jun. 23, 2022—It is often assumed that religious leaders and scientists hold opposing worldviews, but what do the two groups actually think about the dialogue between them? Does one have to choose between religion and science, or can there be common ground? Join Alyssa Hasty, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and associate dean for...
New aging-related molecular pathway discovered
Jun. 23, 2022—A collaborative project between the labs of Maulik Patel, assistant professor of biological sciences, and Kris Burkewitz, assistant professor of cell and developmental biology, has identified a new molecular pathway that plays a key role in the ability of cells to sense and respond to stressed mitochondria. Defects in mitochondrial function are particularly relevant to aging...
Gannon selected for American Diabetes Association Award
Jun. 23, 2022—Maureen Gannon, PhD, professor of Medicine, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Cell and Developmental Biology, is the recipient of the 2022 Lois Jovanovic Transformative Woman in Diabetes Award presented by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The award is given in honor of Lois Jovanovic, MD, whose pioneering work laid the foundation for the current standards...
Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences names renowned scholar John Kuriyan as next dean
Jun. 21, 2022—Vanderbilt University has named John Kuriyan, one of the world’s leading structural biologists, as its next dean of the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, C. Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, announced today. Kuriyan’s appointment, effective Jan. 1, 2023, will advance the university’s goal of expanding its global research impact by leveraging...
Vanderbilt collaborates with HBCUs on recommendations for producing Black professionals in STEMM at predominantly white institutions
Jun. 20, 2022—Researchers who have graduated from, attended, taught or been heavily mentored by faculty at historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, have produced a comprehensive review of existing strengths and opportunities that will enable more Black graduates from predominantly white institutions, or PWIs, to enter science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine, or STEMM, fields at...
Basic Sciences marks Juneteenth with inaugural event
Jun. 20, 2022—Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences hosted its inaugural “Juneteenth: A Freedom Celebration” event on June 15. The programming sought to inform the community about the history and meaning of the important date, which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S., and highlight the accomplishments of Black scientists both at Vanderbilt and across...
Researchers identify new cell subtype in early-stage pancreatic cancer
Jun. 17, 2022—The lab of Kathy DelGiorno, assistant professor of cell and developmental biology, seeks to understand changes in the pancreas in response to injury and disease. In a recent project led by graduate student Leah Caplan, also from the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, the lab investigated the formation of enteroendocrine cells—a collection of gastrointestinal...
Wan named Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences
Jun. 14, 2022—William Wan, assistant professor of biochemistry at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, has been named a 2022 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences. “As a Pew Scholar, our lab will use and develop cutting-edge methods like cryo-electron tomography to determine how Ebola virus infects host cells,” Wan said. “Being chosen as a Pew Scholar...
Bacterial battle in 3D
Jun. 2, 2022—Staphylococcus aureus (“staph”) is an increasingly antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogen that can cause a variety of life-threatening illnesses. Researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine have developed integrated molecular imaging techniques that can produce 3D views of the battle between invading pathogens and the body’s immune defenses down to the subcellular level. In their latest advance,...
The academic startup guy: Larry Marnett, founding dean of Basic Sciences
Jun. 1, 2022—In the early 1960s, young Larry Marnett received his amateur radio license from the Federal Communications Commission. He put up an antenna outside his Kansas City, Kansas, home and began tapping away in Morse code. “It was just so cool to be ‘talking’ to someone in California or Canada,” Marnett recalled. After a conversation, radio...