News
Cell signals that trigger wound healing are surprisingly complex
Oct. 4, 2017—Despite a tremendous amount of scientific study, many outstanding mysteries still surround the way in which cells in living tissue respond to and repair physical damage. One prominent mystery is exactly how wound-healing is triggered.Using an ultrafast, ultraprecise laser, a team of physicists and biologists at Vanderbilt University has taken an important step toward understanding the...
David Allis – Flexner Discovery Lecture Series
Sep. 7, 2017—The Department of Cell and Developmental Biology hosted David Allis on September 7th for the first Flexner Discovery Lecture Series of the year. David Allis' talk was titled, "Varying the terrain of epigenetic landscapes: implications for gene regulation, development and cancer" Dr. David Allis is the Joy and Jack Fishman Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Chromatin Biology and Epigenetics at The Rockefeller University and a member of the...
Jason MacGurn Awarded RSG Grant
Jun. 22, 2017—Jason MacGurn received a 2017 Research Scholar Program Grants (RSG) Projects award to fund the Cell Dynamics Symposium!
CDB Hosts BRET 25th Reunion
Jun. 6, 2017—On June 2nd the CDB hosted part of the Biomedical Research Education and Training (BRET) office's 25th Reunion. Approximately 170 Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP) alumni attended, some of whom met with CDB faculty and toured our facilities, including the new Nikon Center of Excellence imaging lab. In the “Latest Discoveries from CDB Benches” portion of the event, participants conversed with...
15th Annual CDB Retreat Award Winners are . . . .
May. 26, 2017—The 15th Annual Cell and Developmental Biology Retreat was held May 19, 2017 at the Joe C. Davis YMCA Outdoor Center in Nashville. This annual event provides an opportunity for faculty, staff, and lab members to meet and discuss their research in a relaxed environment. The agenda consisted of student presentations and poster sessions. Award Winners! Congratulations to our award...
CDB Marches for Science and Climate
Apr. 28, 2017—Department of Cell and Developmental Biology members participated in the March 2017 March for Science and Climate on the state capitol in Nashville. L to R: Andrea Cuentas Condori, Deborah Lannigan, Ian Macara, Armelle LeGuelte, Maria Fomicheva with Lindsey Seldin (seated).
Polarity protein role in cell survival
Apr. 28, 2017—Cell survival is dependent upon regulation of numerous proteins, both cytosolic and membrane bound. Reporting in Nature Communications, Mukhtar Ahmed, Ph.D., and Ian Macara, Ph.D., identified an unexpected link between cell survival and the polarized delivery of proteins to the surface of mammary epithelial cells.
March for Science and Climate
Apr. 19, 2017—The March for Science is a celebration of our passion for science and a call to support and safeguard the scientific community. Recent policy changes have caused heightened worry among scientists, and the incredible and immediate outpouring of support has made clear that these concerns are also shared by hundreds of thousands of people around...
A molecular clue to longevity
Apr. 18, 2017—Understanding the processes that regulate aging is crucial to potentially increasing longevity and enhancing quality of life. Using the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae), Christopher Lord, Ph.D., Ophir Ospovat and Susan Wente, Ph.D., demonstrated that accumulation of tRNA (transfer RNA) in the nucleus increased replicative life span. These results were published this month in the journal RNA.
Chloe Snider Named Vanderbilt Prize Scholar
Mar. 30, 2017—Congratulations to Chloe Snider, CDB graduate student in Kathy Gould’s laboratory, who has been named the Vanderbilt Prize Scholar for 2017. The Vanderbilt Prize Scholar is a female Ph.D. candidate who has demonstrated excellent leadership qualities and outstanding potential to impact medicine through research during her career. The Vanderbilt Prize Scholar is mentored for one...
Research Assistant Position!
Feb. 21, 2017—The Zanic lab is currently looking for a research assistant to support our protein expression and purification needs. If you might know of any suitable candidates, please encourage them to contact Dr. Zanic directly and/or apply here. More on the Zanic lab can be found here.
Ohi named 2017 Chancellor Faculty Fellow
Feb. 6, 2017—Twelve outstanding faculty members from across the university have been named to the 2017 class of Chancellor Faculty Fellows. The class comprises highly accomplished, recently tenured faculty from the social sciences, life and physical sciences, clinical sciences and humanities, as well as law, mathematics and engineering. Melanie Ohi is an associate professor of cell and developmental biology...
Casagrande recalled as neuroscience pillar, supportive mentor
Jan. 24, 2017—Vivien Casagrande, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) noted for her many contributions to the visual sciences, died peacefully at her home on Saturday, Jan. 21. She was 74. She is survived by her husband, James Andrew “Mac” McKanna, and sons James and Paul McKanna. A memorial celebration of...
Vivien Casagrande Retires
Jan. 18, 2017—The Department of Cell and Developmental Biology announces the retirement of Vivien Casagrande, Ph.D. Dr. Casagrande, professor of Cell & Developmental Biology, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Psychology and a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center investigator, joined the Vanderbilt University faculty in 1975. Her studies have mapped the visual brain circuitry in a variety of species and...
New Appointment for Melanie Ohi
Dec. 22, 2016—Melaine Ohi, Associate Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology, has received a secondary appointment as Associate Professor in Biochemistry. The laboratory of Dr. Melanie Ohi is interested in understanding how large molecular machines are structurally organized and how this organization translates into function within the cell. We use single particle cryo-electron microscopy, as well as a combination...