Research, News & Discoveries

Targeting Topoisomerase II Inhibitors Topoisomerases are critical enzymes during DNA replication and transcription, as they are responsible for untangling the knots and twists that can form as DNA is unwound and rewound during these processes. Type II topoisomerases accomplish this task by making a temporary double stranded break… Read More

Targeting Topoisomerase II Inhibitors Topoisomerases are critical enzymes during DNA replication and transcription, as they are responsible for untangling the knots and twists that can form as DNA is unwound and rewound during these processes. Type II topoisomerases accomplish this task by making a temporary double stranded break… Read More

Sandra Rosenthal, the Jack and Pamela Egan Professor of Chemistry and director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Nanoscale Science and Engineering, has been named the winner of this year’s Charles H. Herty Medal by the Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society. The award is given to recognize outstanding chemists in the… Read More

Research on circadian rhythms, longevity and the brain’s pleasure system will be featured during this year’s Brain Awareness events sponsored by the Vanderbilt Brain Institute. The Vanderbilt Brain Institute’s Rebecca Ihrie, PhD, assistant professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and Neurological Surgery, has organized a course for this year’s Osher Lifelong… Read More

Linking Cell Differentiation, Death, and Mitochondrial Function We are only now beginning to understand the complex regulatory processes that control the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), and we know even less about how the differentiation process alters the structure and function of cellular organelles. Of particular interest in… Read More

Groundbreaking research into the early diagnosis of lung cancer and potential new treatments have been awarded funding through two lung cancer research-focused foundations. Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) have partnered to fund the Lori Monroe Scholarship for Lung Cancer Research. These $200,000 grants support… Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have worked out part of the “wiring diagram” of a signaling system in the brain that has been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Their findings, published last month in the journal Biological Psychiatry, raise hopes for a new approach to treating ASD, which affects an estimated one in every… Read More

Immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system, is one of the most promising forms of cancer therapy and has been shown to work well against some types of cancer. But in early studies, breast cancer has proven to be largely resistant to immunotherapies, which are effective in only… Read More

The epithelial cells lining organs like the intestines and kidneys build a special surface called the “brush border,” which consists of a dense array of finger-like protrusions. Irina Kaverina, PhD, Matthew Tyska, PhD, and colleagues in Argentina explored the role of microtubules — part of the cellular “skeleton” — in building the… Read More

Craig Lindsley, PhD, co-director of the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (VCNDD), has been named a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and elected chair-elect of the Section of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Both distinguished positions acknowledge Lindsley’s significant contributions to pharmacology, therapeutics… Read More