Mapping the cellular origin and early evolution of leukemia in Down syndrome. Wagenblast E, et al. in Science, July 9, 2021 Arthritis flares mediated by tissue-resident memory T cells in the joint. Chang M, et al.

Hepatic stellate cells suppress NK cell-sustained breast cancer dormancy. Bentires-Alj M et al. in Nature, June 2, 2021 Th1 polarization defines the synovial fluid T cell compartment in oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Jul`e A, et al.

We sat down with Dr. Robert Carnahan from the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center to talk about antibody therapeutics and how they can be used in the fight against COVID-19... Click the image to the left to watch!

Lillian Brady, Ph.D. and Kirsty Erickson are part of the Erin Calipari Lab at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Pharmacology. Lillian obtained her PhD from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the Department of Neurobiology. While at UAB, Lillian worked with Dr. Lynn Dobrunz where she studied the role of the dopamine system in the modulation and regulation of inhibitory synaptic transmission and neural circuit function within the hippocampus. Lillian joined Vanderbilt University as an Academic Pathways Postdoctoral Research Fellow in May of 2017 where her research interests include understanding the synaptic physiology, circuit function, and molecular mechanisms that underlie different types of learning behavior. Kirsty graduated from the University of South Dakota in 2016 with a BS in Medical Biology, during which time she studied the role of Ubiquilin-1 in learning and memory. Kirsty came to Vanderbilt in 2017 as a research assistant in the Neul lab, where she investigated the pathogenesis of Rett Syndrome. Now, she joins the Calipari Lab as a graduate student interested in terminal dopamine dynamics that render susceptibility to stimulant use disorder... Click the image on the left to continue reading.

The mRNA vaccine is a new type of vaccine that allows your body to trigger an immune response without using the actual germ to train your immune system. Instead, it trains your immune response using a piece of the virus and will later protect you from getting infected/sick if you encounter the actual virus. Since it is new, here is a list of the generalized ingredients for the mRNA vaccines currently available in the US.... Click the image on the left to learn more!

Transcriptional programs of neoantigen-specific TIL in anti-PD-1-treated lung cancers. Caushi J, et al. in Nature Biotechnology, July 21, 2021 An ex vivo tumor fragment platform to dissect response to PD-1 blockade in cancer. Voabil P, et al.

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected our lives since its emergence in December 2019 and urged the development of therapeutics and prophylactics to combat the disease. Masks, sanitizers, and social distancing have become the new normal. Although we are taking baby steps towards a COVID-free world, thousands of people are still getting infected worldwide. At the time of writing this, over 4.8 million people have died worldwide after infection with the deadly virus. COVID-19 is a complex disease. While most individuals recover after mild to manageable symptoms, a significant fraction of people developed serious complications which require hospitalization and ventilation and often progress to multiorgan failure and death... Click the image to the left to continue reading.

Heather Caslin is a postdoctoral researcher in the Alyssa Hasty lab at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics. She received her Ph.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University. She studies how macrophages and mast cells contribute to weight cycling accelerated metabolic disease. Heather is also passionate about teaching, mentorship, and outreach, and she has worked with the Collaborative for STEM Outreach and Education at Vanderbilt University, has volunteered with the organization Black in Immuno, and does science communication via Instagram!... Click the image on the left to continue reading.

Chris Peritore-Galve is a postdoctoral researcher in the Borden Lacy Lab at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology. He received his PhD from Cornell University. His work is on understanding the role of Clostridioides difficile toxins during infection. .... Click the image on the left to continue reading.

MHC class II tetramers engineered for enhanced binding to CD4 improve detection of antigen-specific T cells. Evavold B & Jenkins M et al. in Nature Biotechnology, May 23, 2021 Two chemoattenuated PfSPZ malaria vaccines induce sterile hepatic immunity. Mwakingwe-Omari A, Et al.