VU Chemical Biology

#New research from VICB faculty! 🧪
🔹 Stephen Fesik and Alex Waterson co-authors a
@JMedChem
paper on BI-2493, a pan-KRAS inhibitor with in vivo efficacy
🔹 Ken Lau features in 3 studies on spatial transcriptomics, microbiota-immune signaling & data management

Honored to host Dr. Martin Burke (@chemistryIllinois) as keynote at the VICB Student Research Symposium! His talk, "Imagine a World Where Anyone Can Make Molecules," is inspiring the next generation of molecular makers.

@vanderbilt.edu @vubasicsciences.bsky.social

The afternoon of the VICB Student Research Symposium is packed with more trainee talks, faculty collaborations, and standout science from Brian Bachmann, Kevin Schey & more. Keynote by Dr. Martin Burke coming up, followed by posters & reception!

@vanderbilt.edu @vubasicsciences.bsky.social #Friday

The 2025 VICB Student Research Symposium is in full swing! 🔬

We're featuring trainee flash talks, tag team faculty/trainee presentations, & insights from Deerfield's Nadim Shohdy.

Up next: keynote by Dr. Martin Burke & the poster session!

@vanderbilt.edu @vubasicsciences.bsky.social #friday

📣 This WEEK!

Join us Aug 1 at Vanderbilt for the 2025 VICB Student Symposium featuring keynote Dr. Martin Burke (UIUC): “Imagine a World Where Anyone Can Make Molecules.”

Register ➡️https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/vicb/2025-student-research-symposium/

#Tuesday #symposium #Vanderbilt

New from VICB faculty! 🧪🧠🧬

🔹 Niswender: mGlu7 modulator pharmacology
🔹 McLean: Steroid metabolite annotation via LC-IM-MS
🔹 Hadjifrangiskou: Urinary microbiome as a microbial frontier

More at: medschool.vanderbilt.edu/vicb/publica...
#vanderbilt #research #discovery #chemistry #Monday

Vanderbilt biologist receives $1.3M Keck grant to study what birds’ longevity could mean for human aging Pet parrots often outlive their owners, and Vanderbilt researchers want to know why—because uncovering the biological mechanisms behind exceptional longevity could one day help safely extend the lives...

🧬 Birds live 3–4x longer than similar-sized mammals — and @vanderbilt.edu is finding out why.

VICB's Dr. Alison Walker is part of a team awarded a $1.3M grant to explore avian longevity. Her machine learning tools will help decode the genes behind it.

🔗 news.vanderbilt.edu/2025/07/16/v...

Another week, another discovery!

Check out our latest publications.

👉 medschool.vanderbilt.edu/vicb/publica...

#monday #mondaymotivation #mondaymorning

P4-ATPases control phosphoinositide membrane asymmetry and neomycin resistance Nature Cell Biology - Jain et al. report that the Neo1 P4-ATPase flips the lipid PI4P across the Golgi membrane to the cytosolic leaflet, preventing PI4P exposure and thereby conferring neomycin...

Excited to share our latest work published in @natcellbio.nature.com! We identify Neo1 as a novel phosphoinositide flippase that maintains membrane asymmetry and provides resistance to neomycin.@grahamlab-vandy.bsky.social. Check out the article and News & Views here
rdcu.be/eweby
rdcu.be/eweh9

2025 Student Research Symposium 2025 Student Research Symposium Friday, August 1, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Student Life Center To receive the registration link or be added to the CBAS mailing list, email CBAS@Vanderbilt.edu.  Agenda Gu...

📣 Join VICB’s 2025 Student Symposium on Aug 1 at the Student Life Center!

🗣️ Keynote: Dr. Martin Burke (UIUC) “Imagine a World Where Anyone Can Make Molecules”

🔬 Featuring Daniel Blair, the 2025 Richard Armstrong Prize winner, flash talks, posters & more!

👉 Register now!

📣 Save the Date!
Join us Aug 1 at Vanderbilt for the 2025 VICB Student Symposium featuring keynote Dr. Martin Burke (UIUC):
“Imagine a World Where Anyone Can Make Molecules.”

Register ➡️https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/vicb/2025-student-research-symposium/

LassoPred: a tool to predict the 3D structure of lasso peptides - Nature Communications Ouyang et al. present LassoPred, a computational tool to accurately predicts the 3D structure of lasso peptides and offers an accessible online prediction tool to the scientific community.

New work from Yang Lab, Link Lab and Yi-Lei Zhao takes a first step toward structural prediction of RiPPs: lasso peptide.
nature.com/articles/s41...
Access the tool here: lassopred.accre.vanderbilt.edu

@vanderbiltvicb.bsky.social

Homepage Core Facility Molecular Design and Synthesis Center Access small molecules with defined or to-be-designed structures as well as hit-to-lead medicinal chemistry support. Learn More Core Facility High T...

Recent high-impact papers span Alzheimer’s, metabolism, pancreatic islets & total synthesis:

🧠 Conn, Lindsley, Jones – Alz Res Ther
🧪 Lindsley – ACS Omega
🧫 Lau – Nat Comms
🔗 medschool.vanderbilt.edu/vicb/

2025 Student Research Symposium 2025 Student Research Symposium Friday, August 1, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Student Life Center To receive the registration link or be added to the CBAS mailing list, email CBAS@Vanderbilt.edu.  Agenda Gu...

📣 Join VICB’s 2025 Student Symposium on Aug 1 at the Student Life Center!

🗣️ Keynote: Dr. Martin Burke (UIUC) “Imagine a World Where Anyone Can Make Molecules”

🔬 Featuring Daniel Blair, the 2025 Richard Armstrong Prize winner, flash talks, posters & more!

👉 Register now!

Brian Bachmann: Visionary Chemist Charts Path to Personalized Treatment Podcast Episode · Quantum Potential · 02/27/2025 · 48m

It was a real pleasure to field such amazing questions from Vanderbilt Provost Cybele Raver about my favorite subjects: natural products and synthetic biology. #NatProd 🧪

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/q...

New research from the Plate and Meiler labs offers promise for treatment-resistant cystic fibrosis patients.
1st author Eli McDonald has personal reasons for the research. Read more ...
medschool.vanderbilt.edu/basic-scienc...

@vubasicsciences.bsky.social @vanderbiltvicb.bsky.social

Endogenous Aquaporin-0 Lipid Binding in Ocular Lens Tissue via Native Mass Spectrometry The ocular lens microcirculation system (MCS) is required to maintain transparency; however, how this system is established and maintained as a function of age is not well understood. Through its role in cell adhesion and water permeability, Aquaporin-0 (AQP0) is an important protein in the generation and regulation of the MCS. AQP0 permeability studies have shown that the lipid composition surrounding AQP0 has a direct effect on its function; nevertheless, interactions of native lens lipids with AQP0 have yet to be elucidated. In this study, we used native mass spectrometry (nMS) analysis of ocular lens membrane preparations to identify endogenous lipids bound to AQP0 to inform our understanding of how AQP0-lipid interactions regulate AQP0 function in the lens. We found that a variety of endogenous lens lipids (phosphatidylcholines (PCs) and sphingomyelins (SMs)) differentially bind AQP0 in a regionally dependent manner (cortex vs nucleus). Furthermore, spike-in experiments using native lens lipid extracts allowed us to uncover new AQP0-lipid assemblies not detected in the crude AQP0 experiments, including AQP0-ether-linked PC and AQP0-SM interactions.

💊💉Endogenous Aquaporin-0 Lipid Binding in Ocular Lens Tissue via Native Mass Spectrometry 🧬🔬

Carla V.T. O’Neale, Sophie R. Harvey, Sergei Chetyrkin, Vicki H. Wysocki, Kevin L. Schey*

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

🧪 New #research from VICB investigators!

From gut immunity to drug discovery, recent #publications span inflammation, P450 chemistry, SNARE inhibition & more.

📚 Congrats to Lau, Brash, Meiler, Hamm, Guengerich, Skaar, Chazin, Schley & Schuppe!

#vanderbilt #university #tuesday #drug #health

New research offers promise for treatment-resistant cystic fibrosis patients Driven by personal loss, a graduate student and his mentors unveil the mysteries of CFTR mutations, seeking to unlock new treatments for cystic fibrosis patients who currently resist available drugs.

🚨 New research from Lars Plate and team offers hope for treatment-resistant cystic fibrosis patients by uncovering key protein interactions that could guide future therapies.

🔬 Read more: medschool.vanderbilt.edu/basic-scienc...

#Vanderbilt #Research #CysticFibrosis #Drugv#Discovery

Heidi Hamm, Eric Skaar elected members of the National Academy of Sciences Two Vanderbilt faculty members have been elected members of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their research achievements.

🎉 Congratulations to Heidi Hamm and Eric Skaar on being elected to the National Academy of Sciences! Their groundbreaking contributions to biomedical research have earned them one of the highest honors in science. 👏🏾👏👏🏻👏🏽 news.vumc.org/2025/05/08/h...

How new UTI drug made in Nashville breaks new ground in fighting the painful infections Urinary tract infections are common and unpleasant, but a research team at Vanderbilt University has developed a groundbreaking new treatment.

Thanks to Neil Osheroff and his team, a new class of antibiotics is showing groundbreaking potential to treat drug-resistant infections. His research into bacterial topoisomerases helped pave the way for this much-needed innovation. Read on for more info 👉 www.tennessean.com/story/news/h...

🧪 New from VICB #researchers!

From Rett #syndrome and chromatin regulation to antibody responses and biocatalysis, our faculty are pushing boundaries across disciplines.

👏 #Kudos to Niswender, Lau, Gaddy, Townsend, Robinson, Denton, Schmitz, Crowe, Plate & Yang!

Discover how collaborative science at the VICB is driving innovation from bench to bedside. 🔗 medschool.vanderbilt.edu/vicb/

🔬 #New from VICB member Dr. Kevin Schey: #Age- & cataract-related changes in lens protein aggregates reveal key γ-crystallin modifications tied to #vision loss. A #deep dive into the #biochemistry of #cataracts.
📄 iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx...

@vanderbilt.edu @vubasicsciences.bsky.social

🔥 #New from VICB researchers at @vanderbilt.edu : cutting-edge papers on mass spec, synthetic biology, neurogenesis, COVID dynamics, drug discovery & more! 🧬🔬

📖 Explore them all here: medschool.vanderbilt.edu/vicb/2025/04...

#Science #Chemical #Biology #Biotech #Academic #VanderbiltResearch

The Grant Game Internal grant programs at Vanderbilt—developed by Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, Provost C. Cybele Raver and Vice Provost for Research and Innovation and Chief Research Officer Padma Raghavan—are…

💰 Amid today’s competitive research landscape, Vanderbilt offers a comprehensive suite of internal #funding programs for faculty that support many disciplines of #research and scholarship. Read more 👉 news.vanderbilt.edu/2025/05/12/t...

Redefining synaptic architecture: Nanoblocks as key organizing units in the postsynaptic density In a new paper postdoctoral fellow Rong Sun and members of the Qiangjun Zhou lab used cryo-electron tomography to better understand the precise structural arrangement of synapses of excitatory prim…

🧠 New research is redefining how we understand brain communication. Scientists have uncovered “nanoblocks”—tiny but powerful structures that help shape synaptic function and plasticity. This work has broadened our understanding of neurons' organization. medschool.vanderbilt.edu/basic-scienc...

📢 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐃𝐀𝐘!

Please join us for a special seminar hosted by the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology featuring Dr. Claudio Ciferri from Genentech.

🗓 Date: Thursday, May 22
🕓 Time: 4:00 PM

Details below 👇

Accelerate your research with the VICB High-Throughput Screening Core!
From small molecule screening to CRISPR libraries & advanced automation, V-HTS helps uncover the next big breakthrough. 🔬

🔗 Learn more: medschool.vanderbilt.edu/hts/

#DrugDiscovery #Vanderbilt #Research #Biotech

📢 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐃𝐀𝐘!

Please join us for a special seminar hosted by the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology featuring Dr. Claudio Ciferri from Genentech.

🗓 Date: Thursday, May 22
🕓 Time: 4:00 PM

Details below 👇