Research, News & Discoveries

Dec. 4, 2019, 1:00 PM Patrick Hu, MD, PhD, identified a previously unknown step in insulin synthesis, providing new clues to diabetes pathogenesis. (photos by Susan Urmy) by Leigh MacMillan The identification of a protein important for insulin synthesis may hold clues for understanding the pathogenesis of diabetes. Although the… Read More

Nov. 27, 2019, 9:30 AM   by Bill Snyder Learned fear responses enable animals — including humans — to flee or freeze in the face of a perceived threat. But if these behaviors persist after the danger lifts, they can become paralyzing and disabling. That’s a key element of posttraumatic… Read More

By Jaime Jensen An artist’s rendering of the pore-forming action of a C. difficile binary toxin. Courtesy of the artist. Eve Moll 2019. This article originally appeared in the Nature Research Microbiology Community blog. The bacterium Clostridioides* difficile (C. diff) has been called many things: a superbug,… Read More

Neil Osheroff, Professor of Biochemistry and Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, was recently elected President of the International Association of Medical Science Educators. The IAMSE is a nonprofit professional development society organized and directed by health professions educators whose goals include promoting excellence and innovation in teaching, student assessment, program evaluation, instructional… Read More

Occasional binge drinking isn’t uncommon, but about 30 percent of all adults exposed to alcohol go on to engage in compulsive drinking behaviors despite negative effects and consequences – a major feature of alcohol use disorder. For years, researchers have sought answers as to why alcohol produces such radically different… Read More

Study explores potential new class of antidepressants Nov. 21, 2019, 11:10 AM Max Joffe, PhD, left, P. Jeffrey Conn, PhD, and colleagues are studying a new class of antidepressants that may relieve symptoms more rapidly and with fewer side effects. (photo by Joe Howell) by Bill Snyder Researchers at Vanderbilt… Read More

Nov. 20, 2019, 4:14 PM by Bill Snyder Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has been awarded a three-year, $3 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to map — in unprecedented detail — the biology of Crohn’s disease. Under the terms of the award, which… Read More

Nov. 18, 2019, 8:30 AM by Cayetana Arnaiz Yépez Cytokinesis is the final step of the process of cell division, by which the two new cells are physically separated. This process relies on a structure called the cytokinetic ring, which needs to be linked to the plasma membrane throughout cell division. Read More

by Kelsey Herbers Researchers from the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center are partnering to examine how genes affect sleep and circadian disturbances in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with a goal of creating a genetic risk profile of insomnia in ASD. The study, funded by autism advocacy organization… Read More

Nov. 14, 2019, 11:00 AM by Bill Snyder Proteins that move electrically charged ions of sodium, potassium and chloride across the cell membrane are vital for the control of cell volume — the amount of water inside the cell and regulation of intracellular chloride. In central neurons, cation-chloride cotransporters, proteins… Read More