VMRCVM - Research Areas for Graduate Students

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Research Areas for Graduate Students

The following examples are provided to give prospective graduate students a sample of some of the ongoing research activities at the college. Click on any thumbnail image for a larger image.

Please note: This is not an exhaustive list of all research areas and faculty at VMRCVM.

For more information about faculty and their research interests, please visit the following pages:

Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology (DBSP) roster
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences (DSACS) roster
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (DLACS) roster
The Areas of Biomedical Specialization page on the college's Center for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Diseases (CMMID) website

Nutrition
Informatics
Aquatic Medicine

Immunology

Dr Ansar Ahmed

Dr. Ahmed's laboratory investigates the control of interferon-gamma, a cytokine that is known to play a very important role in immunity against intracellular infections and is implicated in many autoimmune inflammatory diseases. His studies could improve the use of interferon-gamma in the treatment of inflammation and protection from infectious disease.

Dr. Yasuhiro Suzuki

Toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) in immunocompromised patients is a life-threatening disease mostly due to reactivation of a latent, chronic infection with T. gondii. To improve prevention and management of TE, Dr. Suzuki's laboratory is studying the immunopathogenesis of TE. In addition, TE also provides an excellent model to analyze the mechanism of host defense in the brain for use in treatment of other life-threatening brain infections like encephalitis.

Infectious Diseases

Dr. Stephen Boyle, Dr. Nammalwar Sriranganathan, Dr. Gerhardt Schurig and Dr. Sharon Witonsky

Drs. Boyle, Sriranganathan, Schurig and Witonsky study Brucella, bacteria that cause brucellosis, a worldwide zoonotic disease that infects a range of mammals including swine, cattle and humans, and could be used by bioterrorists. These investigators are developing better vaccine candidates to prevent brucellosis and other biothreat diseases, like anthrax and plaque, simultaneously. In addition, they are studying the interactions of Brucella with vertebrate cells in order to understand communications between the genomes of the host and pathogen that favor a successful or unsuccessful infections.

Dr. David Lindsay

Cryptosporidiosis, toxoplasmosis, and microsporidiosis are parasitic diseases that pose significant world health problems and are increasingly a public health concern for Americans. The parasites that cause these diseases are acquired by consumption of contaminated water and food. These parasites are present in the environment and enter the water and food supply by unusual means. Dr. Lindsay's laboratory is identifying potential treatments for these infections. His laboratory is also working on identifying transmission patterns and ways to inactivate these parasites in water and food.

Dr. Xiang-Jin Meng

Dr. Meng's studies the molecular mechanisms of viral replication and pathogenesis and develops vaccines against viral diseases. He is particularly interested in emerging, re-emerging and zoonotic viral diseases. Viruses currently being studied in Dr. Meng's lab include the hepatitis E virus (human, swine and avian HEVs), porcine circoviruses, and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus. In addition, Dr. Meng is also interested in studying porcine TT virus and SARS-coronavirus.

Dr. Nammalwar Sriranganathan and Dr. Stephen Boyle

Aging is associated with a waning of immunity known as immune senescence. This phenomenon may play a pivotal role in reduced vaccine efficacy and increased risk of morbidity and mortality in advanced age due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Salmonella, influenza and other microbes. Unlike most other intracellular pathogens, aging does not lead to enhanced susceptibility to Brucella infection. Drs. Sriranganathan and Boyle with their collaborators at Wake Forest University School of Medicine seek to determine the age-related factors that enhance host resistance against Brucella infection in older mice. This could result in a better understanding of immune senescence in humans.

Toxicology

Dr. Marion Ehrich

Many organophosphate pesticides have long-term neurotoxic effects, and apparently stress may increase these effects. Dr. Ehrich in collaboration with Dr. Jortner studies these effects in various in vivo and in vitro models. This research includes examination of short- and long-term behavioral, biochemical, and pathological effects of these commonly used agents.

Dr. Steve Holladay

As a developmental immunologist and immunotoxicologist, Dr. Holladay uses animal models to study prenatal exposure to the environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in normal and autoimmune predisposed mice to examine whether altered establishment of self-antigen recognition may increase risk of postnatal recognition by cells of the immune system. A second focus of Dr. Holladay's laboratory is understanding mechanisms by which activation of the maternal immune system in pregnant mice reduces incidence of birth defects in offspring. Birth defects of current interest include heart, neural tube (spina bifida), cleft palate and digit deformations.

Neuroscience

Dr. Beverly Rzigalinski

Dr. Rzigalinski's lab specializes in two important research areas; nanotechnology and neuroscience. Her research focuses on application of nanoparticles to the treatment of aging and age associated neurological disorders. This work will hopefully permit development of novel "nanopharmaceutical" treatments for aging and age-related disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Additionally, the lab is investigating the role of microglia in traumatic brain injury by examining the signals that provoke an inflammatory response in the brain. Hopefully, this research will allow future therapies to shift the inflammatory balance in the brain after severe head trauma, such as that caused by automobile accidents, in microglial activities from neurotoxic to neuroprotective.

Nutrition

Dr. Craig Thatcher

Oxidative stress in humans and animals plays a significant role in many disease processes and conditions. Dr. Thatcher investigates oxidative processes in both in vivo and in vitro model systems by identifying and characterizing biomarkers for oxidative stress. An example of his research includes the analysis of the oxidative damage in horses affected by recurrent airway obstruction, companion animal obesity, and the antioxidant activity associated with prion protein. Dr. Thatcher's research group also actively collaborates with other medical researchers as well as polymer chemists and food scientists on unique interdisciplinary research projects including the development of a novel antioxidant delivery systems.

Informatics

Dr. Jeffrey Wilcke, Dr. Kurt Zimmerman, and Dr. Julie Green

The Veterinary Medical Informatics Laboratories (VMIL) develop and support practical information resources to improve veterinary medical care and safeguard human health. VMIL is a national leader in an emerging scientific discipline that uses modern information technology to improve management of medical data. The Drug Information Laboratory (DIL) is developing an internet-based decision support center, designed to optimize antimicrobial therapy in food animals and minimize the development of resistant pathogens in animals producing food for human consumption. The lab also manages the FDA Database of Approved Animal Drug Products and publishes the FDA Green Book. The Veterinary Terminology Services Laboratory (VTSL) provides logistical support for the veterinary content in SNOMED®, an international medical nomenclature standard. VTSL provides terminology support to the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) and to participating state diagnostic laboratories. Finally, VTSL provides terminology support to vendors of electronic veterinary patient record systems (university, zoological, companion animal practice, food animal, etc.).

Aquatic Medicine

Dr. Stephen Smith

Dr. Stephen Smith's laboratory investigates diseases of wild and captive fishes and invertebrates. Focused areas of research includes clinical medicine, pathology, immunology, toxicology and therapeutics of cultured foodfish, ornamental fish, bait fish and tropical fish. Current projects include vaccine development for piscine mycobacteriosis, pharmacokinetics of oxytetracycline in summer flounder and yellow perch, developmental immunology of cobia, establishment of normal clinical baseline values for various species of cultured foodfish, and heavy metal and pesticide levels in horseshoe crabs.