News
The role of polarity in early cancer
Sep. 24, 2021—Sep. 21, 2021, 8:00 AM by Shivani Sharma Loss of polarity, the orientation of apical and basolateral surfaces of the epithelial cells that line most internal organs and body cavities, usually occurs early in cancer and is considered a consequence of malignant transformation. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a major player in epithelial homeostasis...
Vanderbilt 14th among nation’s top universities in latest ‘U.S. News’ rankings
Sep. 24, 2021—Vanderbilt is ranked 14th among national universities for a second consecutive year in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges rankings. The university also was recognized as a best value and for the quality of its undergraduate teaching. Vanderbilt ranked eighth on the publication’s list of Best Value Schools, up one spot from last...
Cynthia Reinhart-King named Biomedical Engineering Society president-elect
Sep. 22, 2021—Two outstanding women scholars in the same Vanderbilt engineering department have been elected presidents of prestigious national academic societies. Anita Mahadevan-Jansen is president-elect of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics that serves 257,000 constituents from 173 countries. Cynthia Reinhart-King is president-elect of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the professional home for biomedical engineering and...
True behavior of the ‘pleasure molecule’ will reshape how we treat psychiatric diseases and addiction
Sep. 20, 2021—By Aaron Conley “This work clearly demonstrates a much more sophisticated role for this neurotransmitter than was previously appreciated, and it means we need to rethink models of addiction that depend on the dopamine/drug reward mentality.” THE IDEA Pioneering research shows that dopamine levels increase in response to stressful stimuli, and not just pleasurable ones,...
Donation of Awards and Scrapbooks Will Lead to New Understanding of the Life and Work of Nobel Laureate Dr. Earl Sutherland
Sep. 19, 2021—In late August of this year, Dr. Bill Sutherland visited the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences dean, Larry Marnett, and Dr. Nancy Carrasco, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, to donate materials from the life of his father, Nobel laureate Dr. Earl Sutherland. The donated scrapbooks include personal...
Discovery of a pathway that regulates heart muscle regeneration
Sep. 18, 2021—Research led by Dylan Burnette, associate professor of cell and developmental biology, and first-author Abigail Neininger, a graduate student in the Burnette lab, identified the Hippo pathway as a key regulator of heart muscle cell division, which has large translational implications for treatments after a heart attack. Their article was published on September 7 in...
Unveiling the life cycle of a microvillus
Sep. 17, 2021—By Colbie Chinowsky The surface of the intestinal tract is the sole site of nutrient absorption—a life-sustaining process—and disturbances to this tissue have the potential for deadly consequences. The small intestine has evolved a variety of structures that maximize the surface area available for nutrient uptake, including microvilli, fingerlike projections that protrude from the cell....
Jenkins named Basic Sciences diversity, equity, and inclusion program manager
Sep. 16, 2021—By Wendy Bindeman The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences recently welcomed Felysha Jenkins as its first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program manager. Basic Sciences is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive environment that welcomes and supports trainees, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds. Throughout their long careers at Vanderbilt, Linda Sealy, formerly the...
Biochemistry seeks new assistant professor
Sep. 15, 2021— The Department of Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences invites applications for a tenure-track faculty appointment at the rank of assistant professor as part of the Destination Vanderbilt faculty-hiring initiative. We seek candidates who are using innovative approaches to address important and challenging problems in all aspects of biology at the molecular and...
Pharmacology seeks new assistant professor
Sep. 14, 2021—The Department of Pharmacology within the School of Medicine Basic Sciences at Vanderbilt University invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor faculty position as part of the Destination Vanderbilt faculty-hiring initiative. We seek outstanding scientists with an interdisciplinary perspective addressing fundamental questions in molecular and cellular pharmacology with state-of-the-art approaches at a mechanistic level. The...