Giving

Dear Friends,

Within Vanderbilt University’s culture of collaboration and innovation, the School of Medicine Basic Sciences has a long-standing history of applying fundamental research towards a better understanding of the root causes of disease and the development of new therapeutics. Leveraging the foundation set by generations of scientists before us, we continue to take advantage of—and create—new technologies to address some of our greatest health challenges.

Support from visionary charitable partners like you is crucial now more than ever. I am grateful for your dedication to our mission. Some of our promising ongoing projects include:

• The creation of a high-resolution molecular atlas of the human kidney, by a team led by Jeff Spraggins, using a cutting-edge imaging mass spectrometry technique and interpretable machine learning. The molecular map is reshaping our understanding of renal health and disease by establishing a molecular baseline. 1 in 7 U.S. adults have kidney disease and 90 percent don’t know it, and 1 in 3 adults are at risk of developing kidney disease.
• Adding to more than 50 years of groundbreaking work, Vanderbilt scientists continue to study diabetes at every level to develop paradigms for treating and preventing type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Their work includes translational and population-based research to address health impacts, in addition to therapeutic efforts.
• Our work to address the wide-ranging impacts of alcohol and substance-use disorders spans traditional academic borders and recently gained recognition with funding for the Vanderbilt AUD (short for alcohol-use disorder) Research and Education Center. Our collective efforts exemplify a multifaceted approach to addressing the pressing public health challenges of substance-use disorders and a dual focus on research and knowledge dissemination.

To sustain our commitment to pioneering discovery that improves lives, we must cultivate an environment to attract and sustain the most talented scientists, from our current faculty leaders to students and postdoctoral scholars. Your generosity will allow us to continue our research, to nurture our faculty and trainees, and to craft innovative solutions for some of the most pressing problems in the treatment of disease.

Please make a gift today at vu.edu/supportbasicsciences to help us continue to dare to grow as a world-renowned leader in biomedical science research and training.

Thank you,

John Kuriyan, Ph.D.
Dean, School of Medicine Basic Sciences