NEWS
Stanley Cohen (1922 – 2020)
Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Nobel laureate Stanley Cohen passed away on February 5 at the age of 97. A member of the Vanderbilt faculty from 1959 through his retirement in 1999, Cohen’s seminal discovery of epidermal growth factor and its receptor revolutionized our understanding of cancer biology and led to the development of many new anti-cancer drugs. Stanley was an icon of basic science and a beloved member of our community. He will be greatly missed. Read more
Brown lauded as most inspiring
Breann Brown (Biochemistry) is on Cell Press’s Crosstalk blog as one of the 100 most inspiring black scientists in America.
Calipari receives Early Career Award
The Division for Neuropharmacology of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics has awarded their Early Career Award to Erin Calipari (Pharmacology).
Bordenstein honored for excellence in education
The Genetics Society of America has bestowed its Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education to Seth Bordenstein (Biological Sciences).
VBS Core Development Grants awarded
We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 Core Development Grants, which provide $50,000 each to support the scientific mission of our cores. The awardees are: Jarrod Smith (Vanderbilt Structural Biology Computer Support Service), Joshua Bauer (High-throughput Screening Core), Jenny Schafer (Cell Imaging Shared Resource), and Chris Farmer (High-throughput Screening Core).
Trainee awards
Our trainees continue to win recognition for their research. The most recent fellowship awards went to Michael Raddatz (Merryman lab, Biomedical Engineering) from the NIH, Kavi Mehta (Cortez lab, Biochemistry) and Elleansar Okwei (Meiler lab, Chemistry) from NIGMS, Abigail Smith (Johnston lab, Chemistry) from NHLBI, and Ayesha Muhammed (Roden lab, Medicine) and Mark Crowder (Collins lab, Medicine) from the American Heart Association.
New Discoveries
Probing differentiation
Emily Hodges (Biochemistry) and her lab report the development of a new tool that allows them to study cellular differentiation by simultaneously measuring DNA methylation and chromatin assembly.
Resolving a calcium receptor
The lab of Erkan Karakas (MPB) has determined the structure of human IP3R type 3, a calcium channel found in rapidly proliferating cells.
Targeting cancer through MYC
A collaboration between the labs of Bill Tansey (Cell and Developmental Biology) and Steve Fesik (Biochemistry) has demonstrated the importance of the MYC-WDR5 interaction in tumor cell growth and survival.
Keys to DNA repair
Walter Chazin (Biochemistry) and his lab provide new insight into the mechanisms of action of key proteins in the nucleotide excision repair pathway for DNA repair.
New tools to fight depression
A team including the labs of Jeff Conn (Pharmacology), Danny Winder (Molecular Physiology & Biophysics), and Craig Lindsley (Pharmacology) provides a framework for the discovery of new drugs to fight major depression.
Understanding atherosclerosis
Recent findings from Sean Davies (Pharmacology) and colleagues show that a lipid oxidation-mediated chemical modification can impede HDL function.
Uncovering new retromer structures
Lauren Jackson (Biological Sciences) and her lab report using single particle cryo-EM to uncover how the highly conserved protein complex retromer can carry different types of cargoes to different locations.
Mechanism of H. pylori-mediated carcinogenesis
New research from Timothy Cover’s (Medicine) lab reveals the roles of three ATPases that enable H. pylori to transfer an oncoprotein into gastric cells.
Blocking ebola
James Crowe (Pediatrics) and colleagues report a mixture of antibodies that blocks Ebola virus infection in nonhuman primates.
Integrin in the lung
A recent study from Roy Zent (Medicine), Timothy Blackwell (Medicine), and Ambra Pozzi (Medicine) reveals the importance of beta-1 integrin in normal lung function.
Neurology of social function
Research from Sachin Patel (Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences) and his colleagues identifies a neural pathway in the brain of mice that induces pleasure but impedes social function.
Controlling ant aggression
Larry Zwiebel (Biological Sciences) and his lab report new findings that demonstrate the role of odor detection in regulating aggression towards non-nestmates.
Know Your Core
Did you know that Basic Sciences boasts 19 cores that can help you with an assortment of needs and techniques? We’ll be featuring them each month so that you can get to know them. Maybe they can help you with that project you’ve been putting off… Just don’t forget to acknowledge them in your publications!
Creative Data Solutions (CDS) is a fee-for-service shared resource that provides bioinformatics and informatics research services to the Vanderbilt community. From fixed-workflow services to deeper collaborative engagements, its vision is to help with discovery, publishing, and funding. Bioinformatics expertise includes bulk and single-cell RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq, variant identification and analysis, data visualization, and algorithm development. Informatics services include web and API programming, software engineering, and database development. For more information, please visit the CDS website or contact the core director, JP Cartailler.
Jobs
Research Assistant or Associate Professor, Stephen Fesik laboratory.
Research Assistant II, Innovative Translational Research Shared Resource.
Funding
New program project focuses on extracellular RNA
Congratulations to Alissa Weaver (Cell and Developmental Biology) and her many collaborators on their new grant that provides ~$9 million over 5 years to enable investigations into the packaging of extracellular RNA into vesicles.
External Funding Opportunities
NIGMS Supplement Proposals
If you have an NIGMS R01, R35, or R37 grant, you are strongly encouraged to consider applying for an Administrative Supplement of up to $250,000 for equipment purchases. In recent years, the success rate of these NIGMS supplement proposals has been very favorable and there is every reason to be optimistic that the situation will be the same this year. Proposals are due March 30.
Internal Funding Opportunities
Global Research and Engagement Micro-Grants
The Office of the Provost invites faculty to submit proposals for the Global Research and Engagement Micro-Grants to help with the opportunity to pursue international research, scholarship, and creative expression projects, or to pursue strategic, time-sensitive opportunities for global research and engagement. Applications for this grant are received on a rolling basis through June 2020, and winners are announced monthly.
Limited Submission Opportunities
Additional LSO information
Information regarding limited submission opportunities may be found on the University and Medical Center websites. You can also sign up to receive regular updates by email. These opportunities are not limited only to faculty. Make sure you check these opportunities out, as some are open to postdocs and graduate and medical students.
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