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  • Strange Fruit: A Visit to Montgomery

    Strange Fruit: A Visit to Montgomery

    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… Read More

    Feb. 10, 2023

  • Vanderbilt University

    A new view of a cholesterol carrier

    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… Read More

    Feb. 10, 2023

  • Jenkins named Assistant Dean for DEI

    Jenkins named Assistant Dean for DEI

    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… Read More

    Feb. 1, 2023

  • Congressional rules regarding gifts to covered federal elected officials

    Congressional rules regarding gifts to covered federal elected officials

    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… Read More

    Jan. 27, 2023

  • Vanderbilt University

    Study identifies human proteins with segments devoid of genetic variation

    By Leah Mann Charles Sanders, Ph.D. 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… Read More

    Jan. 27, 2023

  • Headshot of Wenbiao Chen.

    CRISPR screen identifies role for a specific protein in insulin secretion

    By Leah Mann Wenbiao Chen, Ph.D. 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… Read More

    Jan. 25, 2023

  • Black-and-white photograph of Martin Luther King Jr. wearing a hat. There is no background.

    Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day

      Dear Colleagues, Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On this day, we have the opportunity to reflect on the goals he had for the U.S.: securing voting rights for African Americans, eliminating racial injustice, and upending class oppression wherever we live. The past few years have shown that we… Read More

    Jan. 16, 2023

  • Basic Sciences Wellness Rooms

    Basic Sciences Wellness Rooms

    Wellness Rooms are available to Vanderbilt faculty, graduate students, postdocs, staff, and visitors. The rooms can be used for lactation, temporary hoteling, and stress-reducing meditation. The School of Medicine Basic Sciences provides two spaces, 715 PRB and 6132 MRB III, to meet these needs. Both rooms feature comfortable chairs, ottomans,… Read More

    Jan. 11, 2023

  • The Island of Misfit Toys

    The Island of Misfit Toys

    Hermey and Rudolph (“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer TV Special,” public domain) By Chuck Sanders My first encounter with the heroic epic genre was in 1966 when I saw “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the hour-long stop-motion movie produced by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin. This film is shown, without fail, on… Read More

    Dec. 5, 2022

  • Vanderbilt University

    C. difficile may contribute to colorectal cancer: study

    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… Read More

    Jul. 28, 2022