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Researchers at Vanderbilt have identified what may be a genetic “smoking gun” for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) — a mutation in the gene for the critical neuronal protein CaMKII. While no single mutation can explain the immensely complicated picture presented by ASD, this study is the first to link a… Read More

Vivien Casagrande, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine noted for her contributions to the visual sciences, died peacefully at her home on Saturday, Jan. 21, surrounded by her husband, James Andrew “Mac” McKanna, and sons James and Paul McKanna. She was 74. Known internationally for… Read More

Craig Lindsley, Ph.D., a leader of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s groundbreaking drug discovery program, is the 2017 recipient of the Pharmacia-ASPET Award in Experimental Therapeutics from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).  In a news release, ASPET said Lindsley was honored for “his pioneering use of technology-enabled synthesis,… Read More

Despite major strides in the early detection and treatment of breast cancer, metastatic disease remains a therapeutic challenge, resulting in over 40,000 deaths per year in the United States. Most breast cancers are the result of genetic mutations that lead to abnormal growth and invasive behavior of the tumor cells. Read More

Integrins are integral membrane proteins found on nearly every cell in multicellular animals. They provide the means by which cells interact with components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In humans, integrins are heterodimers composed of one of 18 alpha subunits and one of 8 beta subunits, with 24 combinations found… Read More

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive, particularly deadly form of cancer noted for its early metastasis and resistance to therapy. One explanation for these traits is that SCLC is usually composed of heterogeneous cell populations, most often including cells with neuroendocrine (NE) traits and those with mesenchymal-like… Read More

Vanderbilt University scientists, led by P. Jeffrey Conn, Ph.D., Lee E. Limbird Professor of Pharmacology in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (VCNDD), have received notification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that testing in humans may proceed for an investigational new… Read More

In August, Raymond Blind of Vanderbilt University won the Journal of Biological Chemistry/Herb Tabor Young Investigator Award at the 2016 Phospholipid Signaling in Cancer, Neurodegeneration and Cardiovascular Disease Conference in Steamboat, Colorado. Blind, who has demonstrated that lipid-signaling enzymes can activate genes, received the award from JBC Associate Editor George M. Carman from Rutgers University. Read More

Harold (Hal) Moses, M.D., Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and director emeritus of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Moses, professor and interim chair of Cancer Biology, is among 175 academic leaders named to the 2016 class of NAI Fellows. Election to… Read More

Diverse: Issues In Higher Education has ranked Vanderbilt University No. 1 in the United States for the number of doctoral degrees awarded to African Americans in the biological and biomedical sciences for 2014-15. Vanderbilt also earned top 10 rankings for graduate-level degrees in the physical sciences, education and nursing. “This ranking is… Read More