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The Vanderbilt–Incyte Research Alliance announces a funding opportunity to support faculty in the areas of applied and translational research.

Extracts of the plant turmeric — the spice that gives Indian curries a yellow color — have been used as an anti-inflammatory treatment in traditional Asian medicine for centuries. Claus Schneider, PhD, and colleagues have discovered that curcumin (the active chemical compound in turmeric) is a “pro-drug” that is converted into reactive metabolites with anti-inflammatory activities.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to starve a tumor and stop its growth with a newly discovered small compound that blocks uptake of the vital nutrient glutamine.