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A research symposium honoring the career of Harold (Hal) Moses, M.D., who founded and served as director emeritus of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, has been slated for Wednesday, Oct. 11, 7:45 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., at the Vanderbilt Student Life Center. The free symposium will feature a roster of renowned cancer researchers… Read More

Too much dietary manganese — an essential trace mineral found in leafy green vegetables, fruits and nuts — promotes infection of the heart by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus(“staph”). “The human body does a wonderful job of regulating nutrient levels, and a traditional Western diet has plenty of minerals in it. The idea… Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Bayer have agreed on a five-year strategic research alliance to evaluate new drug candidates for the treatment of kidney diseases, with the goal of accelerating the translation of innovative approaches from the laboratory to pre-clinical development. Read More

Three Vanderbilt University scientists on the forefront of research in cellular dynamics and cancer treatment, including Marija Zanic, Ph.D., assistant professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, will discuss their cutting-edge investigations during the next Flexner Discovery Lecture : “Cutting-Edge Molecular Tools Drive Basic Science Discovery and Patient Care,” will begin at… Read More

During pregnancy, a subgroup of cells in the mammary gland begins to rapidly proliferate and to differentiate into milk-producing cells. These changes occur, in part, as a result of stimulation by the hormone prolactin, which activates the STAT5 transcription factor, a key activator of milk protein-encoding genes. However, a… Read More

Carlos F. Lopez, assistant professor of biochemistry and biomedical informatics, has been appointed as Vanderbilt University’s liaison to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy’s largest science and energy laboratory conducting research in energy and security. Lopez will continue the many collaborations that Greg Walker, associate professor of mechanical engineering,… Read More

Mother’s milk, which consists of a complex and continually changing blend of proteins, fats and sugars, helps protect babies against bacterial infections. In the past, scientists have concentrated their search for the source of its antibacterial properties on the proteins it contains. However, an interdisciplinary team of chemists and doctors at… Read More

Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) is a rare disease that occurs when patients inherit from both parents defects in the Dhcr7 gene, which encodes the last enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. A large portion of SLOS patients exhibit autism spectrum disorder (ASD) behaviors. Now in a paper published last month in the journal Genes, Brain and Behavior, Fiona… Read More

A new drug reverses some cognitive deficits in a mouse model of Rett syndrome by stimulating a molecular receptor in the brain involved in learning. The findings were presented today at the 2015 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Chicago. The receptor, called mGluR7, binds to the chemical messenger glutamate in the brain’s… Read More

Genetic mutations in PMP22 (peripheral myelin protein 22) cause a variety of peripheral neuropathies, underscoring the importance of the protein to a healthy peripheral nervous system. But the precise function of PMP22, a major component of the myelin sheath that surrounds and insulates peripheral nerve cell axons, has been unclear. Now,… Read More