News
Darwin’s magnificent mystery and the microbiome
Nov. 2, 2021—Vanderbilt researchers are reimagining Charles Darwin’s work by communicating how the origin of species might depend largely on the microbiome—the totality of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other organisms—living in or on a host body. Darwin’s On the Origin of Species put forth a seminal and revolutionary thesis for the life sciences in 1859: Populations with a common ancestor evolve over time with...
Scott Hiebert, PhD awarded grant from V Foundation to support study of pediatric soft tissue sarcoma
Oct. 29, 2021—The V Foundation for Cancer Research has awarded a $600,000 grant to Scott Hiebert, PhD, professor of Biochemistry and Medicine, to pursue a possible precision therapy for a type of sarcoma that predominantly affects children. Scott Hiebert, PhD Hiebert, the Hortense B. Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, will develop a precision therapy for PAX3-FOX01-dependent rhabdomyosarcoma....
Eat breakfast and stop late-night snacking
Oct. 29, 2021—Researchers have confirmed that due to daily circadian rhythms regulating metabolism, when you eat is as important as the how much and what you eat when trying to gain, lose or maintain weight. Carl Johnson, professor of biological sciences, collaborated with graduate student Kevin P. Kelly to test how the timing of daily meals and snacks throughout the day affects weight maintenance. With 24-hour access to some food, those eating the biggest meal of the day in the morning gained...
Vanderbilt Vaccine Center a step closer to broad ebolavirus protection
Oct. 29, 2021—A combination of two broadly acting monoclonal antibodies isolated by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center protected non-human primates from ebolavirus disease, which causes severe and often-fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans. Their findings, published this week in the journal Cell, bring closer to development the first clinical therapy effective against all three primary ebolaviruses responsible...
Protein Society President’s Column Honors Oswald Avery
Oct. 27, 2021—Chuck Sanders, president of The Protein Society, penned this tribute to Oswald Avery, which appears in the October 2021 issue of the Society’s newsletter: It came to my attention that Oswald Avery is buried here in Nashville at the atmospheric Mt. Olivet Cemetery—I had been told that my Dean, Larry Marnett, used to take his...
Sanders lab compiles list of genes and proteins that cause the 70 most common genetic diseases
Oct. 15, 2021—Research led by Chuck Sanders, associate dean for research in the School of Medicine Basic Sciences and professor of biochemistry & medicine, and first-author Tucker Apgar, an undergraduate student in the Sanders Lab, compiled the first comprehensive list of genes and proteins that cause the 70 most common genetic diseases. Their article was published in...
New marker for metaplasia
Oct. 14, 2021—Cellular changes in the stomach lining, called metaplasia, increase the risk for gastric cancer, the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Two types of metaplasia are observed in the human stomach: pyloric metaplasia, initiated from spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia (SPEM) cells, and intestinal metaplasia, which can represent a more advanced type of metaplasia. James Goldenring, MD,...
Renã Robinson named President of National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers
Oct. 12, 2021—VICB member, Renã A.S. Robinson, associate professor of chemistry and Dorothy J. Wingfield Phillips Chancellor Faculty Fellow, has been named president of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers. Renā A.S. Robinson (Vanderbilt University/Joe Howell) As NOBCChE approaches its 50th anniversary, Robinson is looking forward to leading the organization...
Marnett stepping down as dean of Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences
Oct. 11, 2021—Lawrence J. Marnett, who has served as dean of Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine Basic Sciences since its creation in 2016 and has led its dramatic ascension as one of the nation’s top biomedical research and doctoral programs, will step down as dean effective June 30, 2022. Marnett, Mary Geddes Stahlman Professor of Cancer Research,...
AstraZeneca seeks emergency approval for COVID-19 antibodies isolated by Crowe lab
Oct. 7, 2021—The global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said Oct. 5 it has requested emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a long-acting antibody combination originally developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to protect against COVID-19. If the EUA is granted, the combination of long-acting monoclonal antibodies, called AZD7442, would be the first...