Uncategorized
NCI grant funds $12 million for colorectal cancer research
Sep. 18, 2025—A colorectal cancer research team including Robert Coffey (Cell and Developmental Biology), Stephen Fesik (Biochemistry), Ken Lau (CDB), and Bill Tansey(Biochemistry) has received a $12.6 million Specialized Programs of Research Excellence grant renewal. The team has made numerous discoveries over the past 23 years and plans to build upon those achievements with the goal of...
SOMBS successes highlighted at 2025 Fall Faculty Assembly
Sep. 11, 2025—Two groups of researchers received the Chancellor’s Award for Research at the 2025 Fall Faculty Assembly. David Cortez (Biochemistry) and Rahul Bhowmick(Biochemistry) published findings that revised long-standing assumptions and provided a more nuanced understanding of maintaining genome stability.
Kojetin lab advances insight into Pin1 catalysis and PPARγ regulation
Sep. 11, 2025—A new study from the Douglas Kojetin lab (Biochemistry), led by staff scientist Paola Munoz-Telloby and graduate student Christopher Williams, used NMR to study Pin1–PPARγ binding, advancing insight into Pin1 catalysis and PPARγ regulation.
New research points to lipids as possible culprit in age-related vision loss
Aug. 28, 2025—When we think of the age-old adage about getting old, “What new ache or pain will each new day bring?” we often imagine ailments such as joint or bone pain, a hyperactive bladder, or even memory loss, but Kevin Schey, Stevenson Professor of Biochemistry at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, thinks a lot about...
Scott Hiebert named Chief Scientific Officer of Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas
Aug. 5, 2025—Scott Hiebert, Hortense B. Ingram Chair in Cancer Research, professor of biochemistry, and associate professor of medicine, has been named Chief Scientific Officer of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, effective Aug. 1. Hiebert will retire from Vanderbilt after 28 years of distinguished service.
High school researchers at VUMC glimpse the future
Aug. 5, 2025—They were part of the Aspirnaut program, which prepares high school and college students, primarily from rural areas, for careers in the STEM fields.
New research points to cell subtypes that increase risk of diabetes
Jul. 23, 2025—If it has seemed like more people you know are developing diabetes, you are right. The diabetes epidemic is not called that for nothing: According to the American Diabetes Association, over 10 percent of the U.S. population—approximately 38.4 million people—had diabetes in 2021, and 1.2 million more people get diagnosed each year.
Kidney atlas maps molecular landscape unlocking clues to renal health and disease
Jun. 24, 2025—The kidney, a critical organ for waste filtration and fluid regulation, is the subject of a groundbreaking molecular mapping project that could reshape our understanding of renal health. Despite advances in transcriptomics and proteomics, lipids—key structural and signaling molecules—have remained relatively unexplored in the context of kidney function. That is now changing thanks to a new...
Yi Ren’s journey as an international researcher highlighted at the 2025 VIRAL research symposium
Jun. 5, 2025—At the annual research symposium of the Vanderbilt International Researchers Alliance on April 18, the audience was treated not only to groundbreaking science but to first-hand stories of resilience, discovery, and mentorship. Yi Ren, associate professor of biochemistry whose research is transforming our understanding of viral RNA structures, reflected on her path as an international...
Gene expression during differentiation depends on timing of epigenetic changes
Jun. 5, 2025—The laboratory of Emily Hodges, associate professor of biochemistry, has robust experience in epigenetics and chromatin accessibility. A recent paper published in Cell Reports looks at the timing of chromatin accessibility and DNA methylation changes during the process of cell differentiation and how they affect gene expression.