Research, News & Discoveries

Escape of Insulin from Muscle Capillaries Key to the maintenance of homeostasis in a complex, multicellular organism is inter-organ communication by means of molecular signals that are delivered via the circulation. However, to gain access to the target tissue, these molecules must be able to traverse the tightly adherent… Read More

Vanderbilt University has signed separate licensing and research collaboration agreements with Lundbeck, a global pharmaceutical company based in Denmark, to develop a novel approach for treating schizophrenia. “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with our colleagues at Lundbeck to advance this promising new approach for treatment of a devastating… Read More

Ian Macara, PhD, Louise B. McGavock Professor and Chair of Cell and Developmental Biology and co-leader of the Signal Transduction and Chemical Biology Research Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), has been named one of the Pink Tie Guys for the Susan G. Komen Central Tennessee organization. The Pink Tie Guys… Read More

Preserving Neuronal Plasticity During Stress The prefrontal cortex (PFC) of the brain plays a key role in higher order mental processes such as cognition, motivation, attention, and memory. Stress can alter synaptic transmission in the PFC, and these changes may exacerbate symptoms of many psychiatric disorders. Glutamate is the… Read More

Evidence Against a Role for Eosinophils in Adipose Tissue Health Eosinophils are white blood cells distinguished by a multi-lobed nucleus and cytoplasm filled with granules that stain pink with hematoxylin and eosin stain. Known for their role in combatting parasitic infections and modulating allergic responses, eosinophils also regulate a… Read More

The laboratory of Roger Colbran, PhD, has long studied a key calcium ion sensor, called calmodulin, and its target protein CaMKII in learning and memory. Now, in work recently published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry, graduate student Xiaohan Wang identified a novel direct interaction between activated CaMKII and an intracellular domain of… Read More

Microtubules are the “railroad tracks” essential for moving intracellular “freight” around in the cell. They’re also part of the spindle that pulls the two centrosomes apart during cell division. Now researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have made a fundamental advance in understanding how microtubules are assembled. Their finding, published as… Read More

Research achievement was recognized recently during Diabetes Day at the Student Life Center. Among those honored were (beginning second from left) Bryan Gitschlag, Danielle Dean, PhD, Ian Williams, Caroline Presley, MD, and Suzanne Starr. Award winners are flanked by Tom Elasy, MD, MPH, (left) and Alvin Powers, MD. Diabetes Day… Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) biochemist Billy Hudson, PhD, has been awarded the 2018 Distinguished Investigator Prize by the International Society for Matrix Biology for his contributions to the field of matrix biology. The prize will be presented in October 2018 during the American Society for Matrix Biology Biennial Meeting in Las… Read More