Cell And Developmental Biology

Coffey and Lau plan to uncover the mechanistic underpinnings of supermeres in the tumor microenvironment, look for other immune exclusion biomarkers, and evaluate the efficacy of immunotherapy when immune exclusion proteins are targeted. Read More

Christian de Caestecker, a Ph.D. student in the lab of Ian Macara, Louise B. McGavock Professor and chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, proposed and validated a mechanism that solved a decades-old mystery: he shed light on the process by which epithelial cells, polarized cells that face the outside world, sort and deliver the specialized proteins they need at each cell’s poles. Read More

Ph.D. candidate Alan Hurtado and his mentor, Edward Levine, William A. Black Professor of Ophthalmology and professor of cell and developmental biology, will attend the leading conference in their field, the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, thanks to support from the Linda Sealy Emerging Scholar Travel Award. Read More

For researchers, projects can sometimes feel like babies, and there is nothing more satisfying than seeing your baby grow up. For William Tansey, professor of cell and developmental biology, this baby started 10 years ago when he and Stephen Fesik, Orrin H. Ingram II, Professor of Cancer Research and professor of biochemistry, discovered that a protein called WDR5 is a “partner in crime” to MYC, a transcription factor and oncogene that is often mutated in cancers. In fact, dysregulation of MYC is estimated to be responsible for about a third of all cancer deaths annually. Read More

Alissa Weaver, professor of cell and developmental biology, was honored for her work on a paper published in Developmental Cell titled “VAP-A and its binding partner CERT drive biogenesis of RNA-containing extracellular vesicles at ER membrane contact sites.” Read More

Congratulations are extended to our School of Medicine Basic Sciences members who were promoted or received new appointments from January to March 2024. These individuals significantly enrich our pursuit of pathbreaking research and contribute to the growth and success of our school. Read More

Three biomedical research students win the inaugural Life Is Beautiful Image Contest for their stunning scientific images. Read More

Davies, Ihrie, and Iverson receive funding injections from Vanderbilt University to spur world-class research with translational promise. Read More

Jeffrey Spraggins, a leading scientist in imaging mass spectrometry, has been named director of the Mass Spectrometry Research Center. The MSRC is a highly collaborative research entity incorporating a wide range of technologies and serving hundreds of users, including partnering with pharmaceutical companies on drug development research. Read More

Researchers from the School of Medicine Basic Sciences recently developed an analytical tool called EV Fingerprinting that could lead to the use of “liquid biopsies” as a substitute for traditional biopsies for certain patients or diseases. Read More