Research, News & Discoveries

Iron and sulfur are essential minerals critically required for biological functions. The body maintains iron levels through iron homeostasis. Deficiency in iron uptake can cause anemia and excess iron accumulation can lead to organ failure. Similarly, sulfur is incorporated into biological compounds through an ancient pathway called sulfur assimilation. Now… Read More

Cholesterol’s Role in the Response to Graphene Due to its interesting array of physical and chemical properties, graphene is the focus of exciting new applications in biomedical research, drug delivery, neuroprosthetics, and tissue engineering. However, little is known about how graphene interacts with cells or its potential toxicity. Prior… Read More

Modulating Somatostatin in the Islet As the major hormone-producing cells of the pancreatic Islets of Langerhans, the insulin-secreting β-cells and glucagon-secreting α-cells are the primary modulators of glucose homeostasis. However, through the production of somatostatin, which suppresses the secretion of both insulin and glucagon, the δ-cells play an equally… Read More

Nine Vanderbilt University faculty members named to endowed chairs were honored during a celebration at the Student Life Center on Feb. 28. Among them were Basic Sciences faculty Dai H. Chung (Carolyn Perot Rathjen Chair), Björn C. Knollmann (William Stokes Chair in Experimental Therapeutics), and Dan M. Roden, Sam L. Clark, M.D., Ph.D. Chair. Susan… 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

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

Flavin-containing cofactors play an important role in many enzymatic biochemical reactions that involve electron and/or group transfer. In some, but not all flavin-containing enzymes, the cofactor is covalently bound. This is not a trivial distinction, because covalent binding alters the redox potential of the flavin, a change frequently required… 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

Linda Sealy, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion for basic sciences in the School of Medicine, has been recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her career-long commitment to increasing the number of underrepresented minority students in science and engineering doctoral programs. Sealy will be honored with the AAAS… Read More