News
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.
A package deal: Diagnosing and treating breast cancer with a single complex
Jun. 3, 2025—A critical strategy to limiting a drug’s toxic side effects is for it to reach only its pathogenic target and nothing else. A group of researchers from the lab of Larry Marnett, the Mary Geddes Stahlman Professor of Cancer Research, recently paired a precisely targeted imaging agent to an anticancer agent and found that they...
Hamm and Skaar elected to the National Academy of Sciences
May. 1, 2025—Election to the NAS—which was established by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863—recognizes distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. This year, Heidi Hamm (Pharmacology) and Eric Skaar (Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology) were elected members.
Winning the War on Bacteria
May. 1, 2025—Crucial research by Neil Osheroff and his lab leads to approval of the first new class of antibacterial drugs in decades.
Dean John Kuriyan was named a fellow of the American Association of Cancer Research
May. 1, 2025—Pelayo Correa, MD, professor emeritus of Medicine and Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and John Kuriyan, PhD, dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, have been elected to the 2025 class of fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy.
Doug Mitchell named director of the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology
May. 1, 2025—Doug Mitchell has been appointed the holder of the William Kelly Warren Sr. Chair in Biochemistry and professor chemistry. He has also been named director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Chemical Biology.
Katrin Karbstein appointed co-leader of Vanderbilt’s Cancer Cell Biology Research Program
Jul. 23, 2024—Katrin Karbstein, PhD, has joined the School of Medicine Basic Sciences as Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and professor of Biochemistry. She has also been appointed co-leader of the cancer cell biology program in the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
New CBMS supplemental grant aims to enhance laboratory safety practices
Jul. 18, 2024—Given the occurrence of tragic accidents and near-misses at research institutions across the country, cultivating a culture of laboratory safety in academic institutions has been a pressing concern for governmental funding agencies. Thanks to a training grant supplement from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded last year, Vanderbilt campus partners collaborated to execute...
New drug candidates targeting blood clots developed through computer-aided drug design
Jul. 18, 2024—A team of Vanderbilt researchers has created a new series of drug candidates against a hard-to-target receptor involved in the formation of blood clots. The research, spearheaded by the labs of Jens Meiler, research professor of chemistry, Craig Lindsley, Executive Director of Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery and professor of pharmacology, and Heidi Hamm,...