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2023 call for applications – Stanley Cohen Innovation Fund
May. 18, 2023—The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is pleased to solicit faculty applications for research awards from the Stanley Cohen Innovation Fund. The Cohen Fund supports high-risk, groundbreaking research with the potential to open new fields of scientific inquiry and biomedical impact. Initial awards of up to $100,000 (direct costs) will be made from the fund....
ARPA-H Agency now accepting pre-proposals
May. 15, 2023—The new ARPA-H Agency is now accepting pre-proposals for projects that are responsive to their funding priorities (see pages 3–8 of their program announcement). Of particular interest, check out the Health Science Futures focus area, which seeks to develop innovative tools, technologies, and platforms that can be applied to a broad range of diseases. While...
An automated tool can link brain scans to cognitive deficits in NF1 patients
Mar. 15, 2023—By Leah Mann Researchers in the labs of Laurie Cutting, Patricia and Rodes Hart Endowed Professor and professor of special education at the Peabody College of Education and Human Development, and Bennett Landman, chair and professor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the School of Engineering, recently published a study in Magnetic...
Jean & Alexander Heard Libraries Presents: Introduction to Open Science Framework (OSF) workshop
Feb. 24, 2023—Managing data for complex projects is always a challenge. Funders are increasingly requiring that data be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) as well as archived for the long term. The new National Institutes of Health Data Management and Sharing Policy is a notable example of such a requirement. Presenters: Steven J. Baskauf, Ph.D. Data...
Strange Fruit: A Visit to Montgomery
Feb. 10, 2023—By Chuck Sanders One of the benefits of going to Washington D.C. for work, such as NIH Study Section service, is that it provides an opportunity to visit the National Mall, whose spiritual center is the temple-like Lincoln Memorial. There, Lincoln sits deep in his chair and gazes out on the Republic, brooding on the...
A new view of a cholesterol carrier
Feb. 10, 2023—High density lipoprotein (HDL) is often referred to as “good cholesterol.” However, cholesterol is just one of many types of cargo HDL can carry. In addition to shuttling cholesterol from blood to the liver, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) can also transport proteins, metabolites and small RNAs (sRNA). The discovery of HDL’s multifaceted functions has driven researchers...
Jenkins named Assistant Dean for DEI
Feb. 1, 2023—Dear Basic Sciences Community, We are pleased to announce that Felysha Jenkins, Ph.D., has accepted the position of Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Basic Sciences. Jenkins was hired as the Basic Sciences diversity, equity, and inclusion program manager starting in the late summer of 2021. In her role, she has focused on...
Congressional rules regarding gifts to covered federal elected officials
Jan. 27, 2023—Colleagues, As in years past, the Office of Federal Relations (www.vanderbilt.edu/federalrelations) is providing a reminder on the Congressional Rules regarding gifts to covered federal elected officials (including athletic tickets, travel to campus, and meals) and our obligations with respect to reporting lobbying activities made on behalf of the university or using university resources. Attached is...
Study identifies human proteins with segments devoid of genetic variation
Jan. 27, 2023—By Leah Mann The lab of Charles Sanders, professor of biochemistry and the Aileen M. Lange and Annie Mary Lyle Chair for Cardiovascular Research, published a study in Protein Science identifying all human proteins that have at least one segment that does not have any missense mutations in the collection of genes in a gene...
CRISPR screen identifies role for a specific protein in insulin secretion
Jan. 25, 2023—By Leah Mann The labs of Wenbiao Chen, associate professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, and Irina Kaverina, professor of cell and development biology, recently published a study in Molecular Metabolism focused on detecting genes that regulate insulin secretion. The authors demonstrated a new role for the Commander complex—a bound group of 16 proteins—in insulin...