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C. difficile may contribute to colorectal cancer: study
Jul. 28, 2022—The bacterium Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile), which causes severe diarrhea and an estimated 400,000 infections annually in the United States, may be a previously unrecognized contributor to colorectal cancer. The findings from human colon cancer specimens, culturing, and mouse models were reported last month by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center...
Mathers Foundation award supports study of crosstalk between skeletal, immune systems
Jul. 8, 2022—Jim Cassat, MD, PhD, associate professor of Pediatrics, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Biomedical Engineering, has received a three-year, $750,000 award from the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation to support research exploring the interplay between bone homeostasis and infectious disease. The Mathers Foundation’s mission is to “advance knowledge in the life sciences by...
Meet the Basic Sciences Wellness Advisory Council
Jun. 22, 2022—By Emily Overway and Lindsey Guerin In May of 2020, Dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences Larry Marnett formed the Dean’s Advisory Council for Mental Health and Wellness, also known as the Wellness Advisory Council. The council seeks to address the growing mental health crisis within academia by recommending policies and...
BioVU celebrates 15 years supporting personalized medicine
Jun. 9, 2022—In 2003, Dan Roden, MD, then director of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, imagined a large-scale biobank integrated with electronic health records to help doctors “personalize” medical care for their patients. That vision became BioVU, today one of the world’s largest biobanks, with around 350,000 DNA samples from a single...
Six biomedical Ph.D. students awarded prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
May. 10, 2022—By Emily Overway The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program is a highly competitive program that awards grants annually. Fellows doing research in NSF-supported areas within science, technology, engineering, or mathematics receive a three-year annual stipend of $34,000, as well as a $12,000 allowance for tuition and fees. Approximately 2,200 fellows are selected each...
Melanoma treatment response
Feb. 25, 2022—Although targeted therapies have been developed for melanoma patients, tumor progression eventually results. Understanding characteristics of melanoma associated with treatment resistance is important for prolonging therapy effectiveness. In a retrospective study of patients treated with BRAF and/or MEK inhibitors, Chi Yan, PhD, Ann Richmond, PhD, and colleagues discovered an association between tumor progression and an...
Monteggia appointed co-editor for Neuropsychopharmacology
Feb. 8, 2022—By Aaron Conley Barlow Family Director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute and acclaimed neuroscientist Lisa Monteggia was named incoming co-principal editor, along with Dr. Tony George from the University of Toronto, of the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. Their appointments begin in January 2023. According to an NPP release, “Drs. George and Monteggia bring significant expertise in clinical...
Christopher Wright receives 2022 Viktor Hamburger Outstanding Educator Prize
Jan. 21, 2022—Christopher V. Wright. Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, is the 2022 Viktor Hamburger Outstanding Educator Prize winner. The award honors individuals who have made outstanding and innovative contributions to teaching and learning. Dr. Wright will deliver a named lecture at the SDB Annual Meeting, and will be presented with an Award with Viktor Hamburger’s image.
New Awards Announced for Postdoctoral Scholars in Biochemistry
Jan. 10, 2022—By Dave Cortez and Aaron Conley The Department of Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences announced new annual awards for postdoctoral scholars called the Destination Biochemistry Postdoctoral Scholar Awards. These awards will support exceptional postdoctoral fellows from around the world as they join labs in the Department of Biochemistry, making it a...
An inward look into Biochemistry
Jan. 6, 2022—By Wendy Bindeman Welcome to the first of four articles in our new “Meet the Departments” series! The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences is composed of four departments: Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Pharmacology. Through this article series, we will be featuring each one, highlighting their proudest accomplishments,...