Research, News & Discoveries

Cellular changes in the stomach lining, called metaplasia, increase the risk for gastric cancer, the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.  Two types of metaplasia are observed in the human stomach: pyloric metaplasia, initiated from spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia (SPEM) cells, and intestinal metaplasia, which can represent a more advanced… Read More

Renã A.S. Robinson, associate professor of chemistry and Dorothy J. Wingfield Phillips Chancellor Faculty Fellow, has been named president of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers. Read More

Eunyoung Choi, assistant professor of cell and developmental biology, and first author Brianna Caldwell, a research assistant in the Choi lab, have identified the origin of metaplasia in the stomach. Metaplasia is a key initiating step in the development of gastric cancer, and which cell type gives rise to it… Read More

Lawrence J. Marnett, who has served as dean of Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine Basic Sciences since its creation in 2016 and has led its dramatic ascension as one of the nation’s top biomedical research and doctoral programs, will step down as dean effective June 30,… Read More

Two Vanderbilt researchers have isolated sugar compounds in breast milk that can relieve hidden yet life-altering negative side effects of cancer treatment. Traditional chemotherapy destroys cancer by killing rapidly growing cancer cells has several visible, relatively minor side effects—rashes, hair loss and bruising. More severe patient reactions to chemotherapy include… Read More

A recent paper from the Žanić lab, led by graduate student Veronica Farmer and postdoctoral fellow Göker Arpağ, upends a paradigm that has been widespread in the field of microtubule dynamics. In their paper, which was published in the October print issue of the Journal of Cell… Read More

Phase 1 clinical trials of a Parkinson’s disease drug candidate developed at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discoveryhave been initiated by Appello Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage therapeutics company focused on finding innovative early-stage drug candidates for patients with nervous system disorders. Read More

Vanderbilt scientists Breann Brown and Will Wan, PhD’14, have received 2021 National Institutes of Health Director’s Awards for their unconventional, bold approaches to research that advances knowledge and enhances health. These grants are awarded from the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research… Read More

Four-time Grammy Award-winning musician Jason Isbell will talk about the impact of COVID-19 on addiction and sobriety and the intersection of sobriety, addiction and music in the next Lab-to-Table Conversation—a monthly series organized by the School of Medicine Basic Sciences. Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction… Read More

Disruption of the gut microbiota, for example by antibiotics, allows the bacterium Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) to colonize and cause disease. C. diff is the leading cause of hospital-associated intestinal infections in the U.S., but the mechanisms of colonization are unclear.  Eric Skaar, PhD,… Read More