SARS-CoV-2 has mutated and evolved to partially evade the immune response generated from prior vaccination or infection. The development of mRNA technology allows for rapid reprogramming of the coding sequence to modify the immune response mounted by the vaccine. Although the long-term trajectory for vaccination recommendations remain unclear, the advanced mRNA vaccine technology allows for the combination and modulation of the targeted sequence to modify the potency of the immune response.... continue reading.

While COVID-19 is no longer plaguing media outlets, the virus remains a serious threat to human health. Since the discovery of SARS-CoV-2, the virus and its transmissibility evolved. The Omicron variant is the dominant circulating virus that causes COVID-19 in the United States and is capable of evading pre-existing immunity, causing serious public health concern. In fact, the greatest number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations occurred during the first Omicron wave. With high burdens of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza this season, it is important to remain vigilant and take steps to prevent severe COVID-19 illness.....continue reading.

Past history of obesity triggers persistent epigenetic changes in innate immunity and exacerbates neuroinflammation. Hata M, et al. in Science, January 6, 2023 Functional T cells are capable of supernumerary cell division and longevity. Soerens A, et al.

Jane Ferguson Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and an Associate Director of the Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center. Dr. Ferguson completed a BA in Human Genetics at Trinity College Dublin, and a PhD in Nutrigenomics at University College Dublin, Ireland, before moving to Philadelphia for postdoctoral training in Cardiovascular Genomics at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Ferguson moved to Nashville to join the faculty at Vanderbilt in October 2014.....Click the image on the left to continue reading.

Dr. Kristen Ogden and graduate student Sydni Smith build their own viruses while we asked them some questions about their research...click the image on the left to watch!

Anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy for refractory systemic lupus erythematosus. Mackensen A, et al. in Nature Medicine, September 15, 2022 Transcriptional atlas of the human immune response to 13 vaccines reveals a common predictor of vaccine-induced antibody responses. Hagan T, et al.

Dr. Wenhan Zhu and graduate student Ryan Fansler challenged each other to a pipette race while we asked them some questions about their research...click the image on the left to watch!

Lymphatic migration of unconventional T cells promotes site-specific immunity in distinct lymph nodes. Ataide M, et al. in Immunity, October 11, 2022 Gut bacterial nutrient preferences quantified in vivo. Zeng X, et al.