School Of Medicine Basic Sciences
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Gene expression during differentiation depends on timing of epigenetic changes
A recent paper from the lab of Emily Hodges looks at how two types of epigenetic changes act together but on different time scales to affect gene expression during cell differentiation. Read MoreMay 21, 2025
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Yi Ren’s journey as an international researcher highlighted at the 2025 VIRAL research symposium
At the annual VIRAL Research Symposium on April 18, associate professor of biochemistry Yi Ren reflected on her path as an international scientist as one of the event’s featured early-career speakers. Read MoreMay 13, 2025
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CISR Life Is Beautiful Image Contest returns to showcase spectacular scientific imagery
The Cell Imaging Shared Resource is hosting its second annual Life Is Beautiful Image Contest and will award cash prizes to winning images. The contest features stunning scientific imagery of life at the microscopic level and is open to anyone who has captured an image using a CISR microscope. Read MoreMay 13, 2025
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From activation to repression: Decoding the impact of PPAR ligands on ligand-binding domain conformation
In a new study published in Nature Communications, the Doug Kojetin and Zhongyue Yang labs use peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma—more commonly known as PPAR—as a model system to understand the functional shifts of nuclear receptor LBDs. Read MoreMay 12, 2025
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A package deal: Diagnosing and treating breast cancer with a single complex
Vanderbilt researchers have developed a nanoparticle complex that can both visualize and attack cancer cells by targeting the tumor microenvironment. Read MoreMay 7, 2025
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Cracking the code: How studying single cells reveals the secrets of noncoding genes
In a recent study, Vanderbilt researchers address a significant gap in our understanding of how noncoding regions of the genome regulate important biological processes, such as X-chromosome inactivation. They use an innovative, single-cell approach to uncover new mechanistic insights into how specific long noncoding RNAs control critical gene regulation events. Read MoreMay 7, 2025
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Vanderbilt Brain Institute marks 25 years of discovery with 2025 Brain Blast celebration
The Vanderbilt Brain Institute’s annual Brain Blast event, held March 26 at the downtown Nashville Public Library, celebrated 25 years of discovery with a day of hands-on neuroscience activities for K–8 students and families. Read MoreMay 5, 2025
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Witt, Kunnath, and Lake honored with prestigious P.E.O. Scholar Award
Graduate students Atlee Witt, Ansley Kunnath, and Allie Lake are three of 100 doctoral students from across the U.S. and Canada to receive the P.E.O. Scholar Award in recognition of their outstanding academic achievements. Read MoreApril 30, 2025
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Vanderbilt basic science alum Q&A: Corey Hayford
Corey Hayford, PhD’21, sat down with us to discuss his experience studying basic science at Vanderbilt and how it played a role in his career. Hayford is now a principal data engineer at Cellarity. Read MoreApril 30, 2025
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How tissues detect and repair damage to the body’s hidden support system
A new study uncovered how tissues detect and respond to damage in basement membranes, and how they recruit a previously unknown set of "matrix mender" cells to repair the tissue. The results of this study have far-reaching implications for numerous diseases, including diabetes, dementia, and cancer. Read MoreApril 24, 2025