School Of Medicine Basic Sciences

The lab of Kris Burkewitz just made a key discovery: How cellular machineries are structured and organized within a cell has implications for healthy aging. “We didn't just add a piece to the puzzle—we found a whole section that hasn't even been touched,” Eric Donahue, first author of the study, said. Read More

Kidney Disease Vanderbilt School of Medicine’s Basic Sciences investigators study kidney cancer and kidney disease from molecules to patients. Teams link genomics, epigenetics, and metabolism to clear cell renal cell carcinoma initiation, therapy resistance, and tumor-immune microenvironment. Researchers build organoid, CRISPR, and mouse models to test pathways and identify drug… Read More

Gallbladder Disease Research Vanderbilt School of Medicine’s Basic Sciences researchers study gallbladder disease by probing the fundamental biology behind gallstone formation and biliary inflammation. Work commonly integrates cell and animal models with human biospecimens. Investigators explore genetic and environmental risk factors, including diet and the gut-liver-biliary axis, and apply modern… Read More

Stomach Disorders Vanderbilt School of Medicine basic science researchers study stomach (gastric) cancer by uncovering the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive tumor initiation, progression, and treatment resistance. Work spans cancer genetics and epigenetics, oncogenic signaling, metabolism, and interactions with the tumor microenvironment and immune system. Many labs use patient-derived… Read More

  Liver Disease Liver disease affects millions globally, with causes including fatty liver (MASLD), viral hepatitis (HCV/HBV), alcohol, and obesity, leading to significant mortality (2M deaths/year globally) and disability. Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences researchers investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying human liver diseases, from fatty liver… Read More

Heart Disease Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences researchers are investigating the heart at its foundations, from the molecular signals that control contraction and rhythm to the genetic and cellular pathways that drive atherosclerosis, inflammation, and heart failure. This bench-level insight fuels the next generation of diagnostics and therapies,… Read More

Meet Jen Silverman, a Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Matthew Tyska in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology. Read More

Lung Disease Worldwide, chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) affect hundreds of millions, with COPD and asthma being major burdens, causing millions of deaths annually, driven largely by smoking and air pollution, though age-standardized rates for many CRDs have dropped, absolute numbers rise due to population growth, and pneumonia remains a leading… Read More

Millions of Americans struggle with cocaine use, yet research tools don’t yet reflect real-world drug use. Vanderbilt scientists have developed a new approach that more accurately models how people use cocaine, strengthening efforts to understand addiction and develop better therapies Read More

Kavya Sharman, BS’16, PhD’22, channeled dual expertise in science and business into launching Phase Capital, a Nashville-based venture capital firm focused on tech bio. Today, she supports founders working to transform scientific discoveries into scalable applications across the U.S., all while maintaining close ties to her Vanderbilt alma mater and home. Read More