School Of Medicine Basic Sciences

The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences welcomed 42 new graduate students into its Interdisciplinary Graduate Program and Quantitative and Chemical Biology Program through orientation events and the Simple Beginnings ceremony. These academic programs combine coursework and research to guide students toward earning a Ph.D. and careers in the biomedical sciences. Read More

Prashant Donthamsetti has received a prestigious NIH Director’s Pioneer Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. His project will use a new platform called Tag-Guided Drug to uncover how specific dopamine signaling proteins contribute to addiction. This work paves the way for more precise and effective addiction therapies. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers probe the mysteries of an enzyme that could be used as a tool in basic research and medicinal chemistry. Read More

Meet Hannah Schaeffer, administrative manager for the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery. Read More

Kathleen DelGiorno has received a Research Scholar Award from the American Cancer Society to study pancreatic cancer development. She will focus on the role of two fatty acids that are known to be involved with tumorigenesis. Read More

Professor of Biochemistry Chuck Sanders reflects on a summertime backpacking trip in the Wind River Range of Western Wyoming. Read More

Vanderbilt scientists shed light on how the enteric nervous system—sometimes called the "brain" of the gut—forms and functions, offering insights that may advance treatments for gut motility disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation. Read More

Juan Carvajal-García has been named a 2025 Destination Biochemistry Advanced Postdoctoral Scholar, a distinction granted by the Department of Biochemistry at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences. The award will support his transition into an independent research position. Read More

Vanderbilt biochemists find role for lipids in age-related vision loss—and pave the way for potential new therapies. Read More

Vanderbilt University welcomed 48 undergraduate researchers from 30 institutions across the country to present their work at the 2025 Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy Poster Symposium. Read More