The bacterium Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) forms organelles that help them defend against iron in the colon. According to a group of scientists from Vanderbilt University, this pathogen, which causes serious gastrointestinal infections, expresses fez genes to build structures called ferrosomes that store excess iron that is toxic to it. Its ferrosomes are surrounded by membrane and could be a target against this microorganism.

Severe toxicities associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy are a major challenge of this anticancer therapy approach. While myocarditis is a rare immune-related adverse event in patients receiving ICIs, it has a nearly 50% mortality rate and its pathogenesis is poorly understood. In the current study, researchers from Vanderbilt University and affiliated organizations published data from a study that evaluated a novel mouse model recapitulating clinical and pathological features of ICI-associated myocarditis (ICI-MC).

Revelation Biosciences Inc. has entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Vanderbilt University to develop and commercialize phosphorylated hexaacyl disaccharide (PHAD) for treating or preventing infections.