Research Tools

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Vanderbilt researchers have engineered Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, an obligate anaerobe, to endure oxygen-rich conditions in the gut, enhancing the survival and functionality of these probiotics used to treat inflammation.

A research team at Vanderbilt University Mass Spectrometry Research Center has developed the Molecular Image Fusion software system, that by fusing spatial correspondence between histology and imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) measurements and cross-modality modeling, can predict ion distributions in tissue at spatial resolutions that exceed their acquisition resolution. The prediction resolution can even exceed the highest spatial resolution at which IMS can be physically measured. This software has been successfully tested on different IMS datasets and can be extended to other imaging modalities like MRI, PET, CT, profilometry, ion mobility spectroscopy, and different forms of microscopy.

Liver transplantation is the only cure for end-stage liver disease, but donor organ scarcity limits access for millions. Split liver transplantation could help bridge this gap, but the regeneration of partial organs is critical to broadlyimplementing this approach. Vanderbilt University researchers have identified a growth factor that promotes liver growth that could be used to improve patient outcomes and increase accessibility to liver transplantation.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University designed an instrument capable of higher accuracy and analyzing lick microstructure compared to current available models. This device is compatible with classic ventilated home cages, making it easy to build and use with an intuitive touchscreen graphical user interface. The system tracks two-bottle choice licking behavior in up to 18 rodent cages, or 36 single bottles, on a minute-to-minute timescale controlled by a single Arduino microcontroller. Ultimately, the system measures drinking preference over time and changes in bout microstructure, with undisturbed recordings lasting up to 7 days.