Do you have a science question? Submit the question in the form below and we'll find the perfect expert at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center to answer it! Answers will be featured on the ImmuKnow+ homepage as well as the VI4 twitter account. Answers will be done in video form when possible so please allow a week or two for us to turn it around!

Dr. Bohannon completed her PhD at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX, where she began her studies into immune function following severe burn injury. After completing her PhD studies in 2011, she joined the Sherwood Lab at UTMB as a postdoctoral fellow. Shortly thereafter, she assisted Dr. Sherwood in relocating his laboratory to the Anesthesiology department at VUMC in 2012, where she completed her postdoctoral training. She joined Anesthesiology faculty in 2015 and now has her own research program aimed at investigating immunomodulatory therapies for the prevention of infection and sepsis in patients with severe burn and other critical injuries... Click Dr. Bohannon's photo to continue reading.

This image is a W4 cell that has been treated with Blebbistatin, a myosin-2 inhibitor. Upon treatment with this inhibitor, we observed that the microvilli (actin-based protrusions that allow increased surface area for nutrient absorption in the intestine) elongate far beyond their usual length. These observations, combined with many others, led us to a mechanism called "contractility-dependent actin turnover", which has been observed in other systems, such as the neuronal growth cone. We believe that NM2C likely assists in actin turnover of microvilli, as we also found that NM2C is positioned directly underneath microvilli, in an optimal position to influence the microvillar actin network... Click the image to continue reading.

Since its inception, 3 years ago, the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation has grown to include 166 faculty and numerous postdocs, students, and staff working together to acquire substantial public and private research funds and to publish rigorous scientific manuscripts in top tier journals. This success stems from a dedicated community who now exist under a framework to maximize education, resources, and collaboration. Critical to meeting our mission is the ability to foster an environment for growth and continued collaboration with state-of-the-art equipment and resources. The VI4 is excited to announce a series of renovations, equipment, and new programs to continue to grow and serve the research community and become a world leader in Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation research... Click the image to continue reading.

Do you have an institute- or science-related story you’d like people to hear? Are you interested in exploring science communication? We’re looking for writers and content creators interested in communicating the incredible research efforts, innovation, discoveries, and individuals of the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation (VI4)...Click the image to the left to continue reading.

Interpersonal Gut Microbiome Variation Drives Susceptibility and Resistance to Cholera Infection. Alavi S, et al. in Cell, June 25, 2020 Immunogenomic Landscape of Hematological Malignancies. Dufva O, et al. in Cancer Cell, July 9, 2020 Programmable multistage drug delivery to lymph nodes.

Logan is from Hoffman, North Carolina. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. At Morehouse College, Logan conducted research in the laboratory of Dr. Juana Mendenhall where he developed therapeutic hydrogels to regenerate degraded cartilage. At Vanderbilt, he is in the Cancer Biology Graduate Program, and his project focuses on creating synthetic microenvironments to better understand tumor cell behavior... Click the image on the left to continue reading.

Mona Mashayekhi, M.D., Ph.D. received her B.A. in Biology from University of Chicago. Mona did her Ph.D. and M.D. at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri. She is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the labs of John Koethe and Spyros Kalams. She is also a Clinical Instructor of medicine here at VUMC in the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism.... Click the image on the left to continue reading.

Dr. Wilson received his B.S. in Bioengineering from the Oregon State University Honors College, where he also trained in a number of academic and industrial research labs, including the Oregon Medical Laser Center and Bayer Pharmaceuticals. He went on to pursue his doctoral studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the Department of Surgery at Emory University and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech. He is now running his own lab as an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University.... Click Dr. Wilson's photo to continue reading.