December 13, 2021

A new study led by Jeff Conn, Lee E. Limbird Chair in Pharmacology, James Maksymetz, a former graduate student in the Conn laboratory, and other collaborators at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery has identified a protein in the central nervous system, known as mGlu1, as a potential target for novel treatments of schizophrenia. Researchers hope that this novel treatment strategy “may eventually provide relief for patients, allow them to reintegrate into and contribute to society, and diminish the burden on our health care systems.” The results of this research are particularly exciting because the drug reverses working memory deficits, a hallmark of schizophrenia for which there is currently no treatment. [This research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health.] MORE

Vanderbilt alumni Brad Potteiger, MS’16, PhD’19, Tim Potteiger, MS’17, and Michael Bryant, MBA’12, are the co-founders of ARMS Cyber, a cybersecurity company that proactively eliminates zero-day attacks, which target software security vulnerabilities before developers have the opportunity to patch them. The company recently earned two accolades: a $750,000 Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the U.S. Air Force and the grand prize in a tech startup competition hosted by VetsinTech and JPMorgan Chase. The one-year Phase II STTR grant will help ARMS Cyber continue its research and development. Funding is based on results during the Phase I grant period and on the scientific and technical merit and commercial potential of the proposed Phase II project. ARMS Cyber was fostered through the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center. They also were selected for the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps and the Catalyst Accelerator in 2020. MORE

During his winter break in 2020, sophomore electrical engineering and mathematics double major, Wenitte Apiou, was struck with an idea that stemmed from his native African roots. After moving from West Africa to the U.S., Apiou realized that he hadn’t had the opportunity to learn his family’s native languages, like Mooré and Kassem. When he was unable to find tools to help him learn those native tongues, his goal became clear—to deliver an accessible language learning program for African languages that often are left out of mainstream platforms. In searching for resources to help him think through his project, Apiou turned to the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center. The app, which they named Mandla, derives from the word “Amandla” or “power” in Zulu and Xhosa, a rallying cry in the face of apartheid-era oppression. Mandla includes a “Word of the Day,” a translation tool and interactive lessons for 10 languages so far. Drawing on his experience with individuals from a similar demographic, Apiou says that families who emigrated from African countries to the U.S. often only want their children to learn English, not their mother tongues. MORE

In a review of a century of research on sensory systems of whales, Rachel Racicot, research assistant professor of biological sciences, describes advances in the field and key questions that remain. When animals die and become fossils, soft tissues, including those in the ear, break down, and bony areas become scattered with empty pockets where these soft tissues were once housed remain. By recreating these areas digitally, researchers can determine the frequencies animals could hear. One of the questions this technique addresses is whether echolocation evolved independently in different whale groups. According to Racicot’s review, it is thought that the first completely marine whales used low-frequency communication, which could travel long distances. Later on, a group of whales evolved higher frequency communication and developed echolocation. In 2019, she discovered that echolocation may have evolved twice and in separate groups of whales. Racicot’s review also acknowledges the open questions about how the whale sensory system has evolved, which are critical to our understanding of the overarching evolutionary trends in ocean-dwelling mammals that have proven difficult to access and study. MORE

Former Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist shared examples from his time in political office and gave advice on what could help current lawmakers work toward compromise in a recent panel discussion on effective lawmaking. The virtual discussion, “The Keys to Effective Lawmaking in Turbulent Times,” was Dec. 7, hosted by the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy and the Center for Effective Lawmaking. MORE

For many people, hospitals are uncomfortable places where reminders of illness and injury are at every turn. But for Pamela R. Jeffries, PhD, FAAN, ANEF, FSSH, visits to a large hospital in Indianapolis as a teenager were fascinating, even inspiring, experiences. Among the earliest influences on her career path in nursing education and innovation was witnessing the hospital staff’s dedication to patient care. Jeffries, who succeeded Linda Norman, DSN, FAAN, as dean last July, takes over at a time when nursing education is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. The profession is being shaped not only by a global pandemic and all its demands, but also by innovation and technology. Jeffries’ background, which includes expertise in experiential learning, innovative teaching strategies, and the use of technology in the delivery of nursing education, is well-suited for this moment of dramatic change—one in which skilled nurses are needed more than ever before. MORE

John McLean, Stevenson Professor of Chemistry, Stevenson Chair and the director of the Center for Innovative Technologies, has been elected a 2021 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. The National Academy of Inventors Fellows Program highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. Election as an NAI Fellow is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors. McLean’s research focuses on the design, construction and application of advanced technologies for structural mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometers are used to weigh and quantify compounds on a molecular scale to determine structure and chemical properties of molecules. By understanding the complete structure and makeup of a molecular compound, more effective therapeutics or interventions can be achieved across a variety of human diseases. MORE