Congratulations and Kudos!

To Our Graduates! Many graduate students from the Basic Sciences were among the 88 who received doctoral degrees in the Biomedical Sciences. Our heartiest best wishes to all for a successful and satisfying future! Read more

To Our Emeriti Faculty! On May 12, seven Basic Sciences faculty were honored with the emeritus or emerita title. They are Al Beth (Molecular Physiology and Biophysics), Paul Bock (Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology), Vivien Casagrande (Cell and Developmental Biology, posthumous), Arthur Dalley (Cell and Developmental Biology), Hal Moses (Cancer Biology), Jack Roberts (Pharmacology), and Tony Weil (Molecular Physiology and Biophysics). We wish them all the best in their well-deserved retirements! Read more

Danny Winder (Molecular Physiology and Biophysics) received the F. Peter Guengerich Award for Mentoring Postdoctoral Fellows or Residents in the Research Setting at the VUMC spring faculty meeting. Read more

Jeff Conn (Pharmacology) and Craig Lindsley (Pharmacology) together were honored with the John A. Oates Award for two or more faculty working collaboratively or in a multidisciplinary manner to address important biological processes. The award was conferred at the VUMC spring faculty meeting. Read more

Kamakoti Bhat (David Cortez lab, Biochemistry) and Tim Shaver (Jennifer Pietenpol lab, Biochemistry) were named VICC Students of the Year at the VICC Science Retreat May 4. Read more

In closing, I want to return to NIH funding. The

Elwood Mullins (Brandt Eichman lab, Biological Sciences) has been named the VICC Postdoctoral Fellow of the Year at the VICC Science Retreat May 4. Read more

Ann Richmond (Cancer Biology) was a keynote speaker at the Third National Veterans Health Affairs Research Conference (May 17-18). Prof. Richmond is the 2016 recipient of the William S. Middleton Award, one of the VA’s highest honors for scientific achievement. Her topic at the Conference was “Cancer Immunotherapy: Advances and Challenges.” Read more

Career Stories

Vanderbilt is one of only ten institutions nationwide to have received a Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) award from the NIH. Through this funding, the Biomedical Research Education and Training (BRET) Office created its ASPIRE (Augmenting Scholar Preparation and Integration with Research-Related Endeavors) career development program. Since its inception in 2013, ASPIRE has touched the lives of numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows as they pursued a wide range of career goals. To highlight the successes of these students and postdocs, Basically Speaking will be sharing their stories. Our third career story features Charlie Johnson, who came to Vanderbilt for postdoctoral studies in toxicology and left to become a patent agent. Read more

New Discoveries

A Notch Ahead in the Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease

New research from Chuck Sanders and his lab reveals key structural differences between Notch-1 and the amyloid precursor protein that may be key to new approaches for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Read more

Oxidative Stress in Tumors

Ray Mernaugh and his lab report the use of a single chain antibody to show elevated levels of isolevuglandins, which are generated during oxidative stress, in tumors. Read more

Uterus-On-A-Chip

Work from Kevin Osteen’s lab is leading to the development of a microfluidic organ-on-a-chip device that simulates the endometrial lining of the uterus to facilitate testing of therapies for reproductive diseases. Read more

Novel Regulators of Beta Cell Survival

Maureen Gannon and her group have shown that receptors for prostaglandin E2 play a role in pancreatic beta cell proliferation and survival, clues that may lead to new approaches for the treatment of diabetes. Read more

New Insights into the Neurochemistry of Anxiety

A recent report from Sachin Patel and colleagues dissects the effects of two different endocannabinoid pathways in regulating anxiety-like behaviors, possibly pointing the way to new therapies for anxiety disorders. Read more

New Key to Glucose Tolerance

Research from the labs of Ambra Pozzi and James Luther reveals a connection between glucose tolerance and oxidized lipids in the plasma, suggesting possible new ways to help prevent or treat diabetes. Read more

Funding Opportunities

W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program

Vanderbilt University may submit 2 nominees, one in medical research and one in science and engineering for the 2018 W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program, which typically provides awards of around $1,000,000. Interested faculty should submit a 1-page Concept Paper by June 30^th. Read more

Lou De Felice Summer Student Travel Awards

The Basic Sciences of the School of Medicine are pleased to announce the annual Lou De Felice Summer Student Travel Awards. The purpose of these awards is to promote diversity and inclusion in the biomedical research community. Specifically, these awards will provide funding for faculty mentors from either VU or VUMC and their Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy (VSSA) undergraduate student to attend either the SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science) or ABRCMS (Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students) research conference this upcoming fall. Three awards are available. Applications are due June 23, 2017. Read more

NIH Guide E-Mail List

If you have not already done so, you are encouraged to subscribe to the NIH Guide email list. The weekly NIH Guide provides a wealth of information on NIH grant programs, including RFAs for special one-time grant programs.  To subscribe, follow the instructions at this web site.