Gustavo Aguirre, VMD, PhD, published Becker D, Niggel J, Pearce-Kelling S, Riis RC, and Aguirre GD, “Optic Nerve Hypoplasia in Miniature Poodle Dogs: A Preliminary Genetic and Candidate Gene Association Study,” Veterinary Ophthalmology, 2020, 23: 67–76 (PMC6980232). He also published Iwabe S, Dufour VL, Guzmán JM, Holle DM, Cohen JA, Beltran WA, and Aguirre GD, “Focal/Multifocal and Geographic Retinal Dysplasia in the Dog—In Vivo Retinal Microanatomy Analyses,” Veterinary Ophthalmology, 2020, 23: 292–304 (PMC7071990); Krishnan H, Diehl K, Stefanovski D, and Aguirre GD, “Vitreous Degeneration and Associated Ocular Abnormalities in the Dog,” Veterinary Ophthalmology, 2020, 23: 219–24; Gardiner KL, Cideciyan AV, Swider M, Dufour VL, Sumaroka A, Komáromy AM, Hauswirth WW, Iwabe S, Jacobson SG, Beltran WA, and Aguirre GD, “Long-Term Structural Outcomes of LateStage RPE65 Gene Therapy,” Molecular Therapy, 2020, 28: 266–78 (PMC6951840); Garafalo AV, Cideciyan AV, Heon E, Sheplock R, Pearson A, Yu CW, Sumaroka A, Aguirre GD, and Jacobson SG, “Progress in Treating Inherited Retinal Diseases: Early Subretinal Gene Therapy Clinical Trials and Candidates for Future Initiatives,” Progress in Retinal and Eye Research, 2020 (in press); Appelbaum T, Santana E, and Aguirre GD, “Critical Decrease in the Level of Axon Guidance Receptor ROBO1 in Rod Synaptic Terminals Is Followed by Axon Retraction,” Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 2020, 61(3): 11; Smith SM, Holt E, and Aguirre GD, “Conjunctival Staining with Lissamine Green as a Predictor of Tear Film Deficiency in Dogs,” Veterinary Ophthalmology, 2020, in press.
Daniel Beiting, PhD, published Berry ASF, Johnson K, Martins R, Sullivan MC, Farias Amorim C, Putre A, Scott A, Wang S, Lindsay B, Baldassano RN, Nolan TJ, and Beiting DP, “Natural Infection with Giardia Is Associated with Altered Community Structure of the Human and Canine Gut Microbiomes,” mSphere, 2020, 5:e00670-20, https://doi. org/10.1128/mSphere.00670-20. He also led the first DIYtranscriptomics course. This virtual course teaches students how to analyze RNA-seq data using command-line tools, with an emphasis on best-practices for transparent and reproducible data analysis in the R/ bioconductor environment.
William Beltran, DVM, PhD, presented IC-100: Potential Treatment for RHO-adRP at the IVERIC bio R&D meeting in San Francisco, on January 14, 2020. He published Dufour VL, Cideciyan AV, Ye GJ, Song C, Timmers A, Habecker PL, Pan W, Weinstein NM, Swider M, Durham AC et al, “Toxicity and Efficacy Evaluation of an Adeno-Associated Virus Vector Expressing CodonOptimized RPGR Delivered by Subretinal Injection in a Canine Model of X-linked Retinitis Pigmentosa,” Human Gene Therapy, 2020, 31(3-4): 253–67 (PMC7047101). He also published Dufour VL, Yu Y, Pan W, Ying GS, Aguirre GD, and Beltran WA, “In-vivo Longitudinal Changes in Thickness of the Postnatal Canine Retina,” Experimental Eye Research, 2020, 192:107926. He also published Song C, Dufour VL, Cideciyan AV, Ye GJ, Swider M, Newmark JA, Timmers AM, Robinson PM, Knop DR, Chulay JD, Jacobson SG, Aguirre GD, Beltran WA, and Shearman MS, “Dose Range Finding Studies with Two RPGR Transgenes in a Canine Model of X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa Treated with Subretinal Gene Therapy,” Human Gene Therapy, 2020, 31(13–14): 743–55.
Stephen Cole, VMD, MS, DACVM, published “SODAPOP: A Metacognitive Mnemonic Framework to Teach Antimicrobial Selection,” with coauthors Dr. Shelley Rankin (Pathobiology) and Dr. Emily Elliott of Penn’s Center for Teaching and Learning. In addition, Cole was awarded honorary mention in the COVID Creations Contest for his “Bug of the Week” teaching tool from VetMedAcademy.org.
Julie Ellis, PhD, published Diamond AW, McNair DB, Ellis JC, Rail J-F, Whidden ES, Kratter AW, Courchesne SJ, Pokras MA, Wilhelm SI, Kress SW, Farnswroth A, Iliff MJ, Jennings SH, Brown JD, Ballard JR, Schweitzer SH, Okoniewski JC, Gallegos JB, and Stanton JD, “Two unprecedented auk wrecks in the northwest Atlantic in winter 2012/13,” Marine Ornithology, 2020, 48: 185–204.
Julie Engiles, VMD, DACVP, presented a virtual seminar for the C.L. Davis & S.W. Thompson Foundation in May 2020 comparing pathology and molecular mechanisms of spontaneous and experimental models of equine laminitis.
Sarah Friday, DVM, received the 2020 Penn Vet Class of 2020 Philadelphia Intern Award.
Hannah Galantino-Homer, VMD, PhD, DACT, published GalantinoHomer H and Brooks SA, “Genetics and Signaling Pathways of Laminitis,” Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice, 2020, 36(2): 379–94, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cveq.2020.04.001, PubMed PMID 32654786.
Dave Galligan, VMD, MBA, earned the University of Pennsylvania’s Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Oliver Garden, BVetMed, PhD, is helping establish the Veterinary and Comparative Clinical Immunology Society (http://www.vccis.org/). He chairs the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Clinical Studies Foundation (https://www.ecvim-ca.org/ecvim-clinicalstudies-fund), and is working with a Dutch team on filing for foundation status. He chairs the review process for three programs of grant proposals: Established Investigator Award, Purine Resident Research Award, and ESVE Pilot Research Award. In addition, Garden has published Wu Y, Chang YM, Polton G, Stell AJ, Szladovits B, MacFarlane M, Peters LM, Priestnall SL, Bacon NJ, Kow K, Stewart S, Shama E, Goulart MR, Gribben J, Xia D, and Garden, OA, “Gene Expression Profiling of B Cell Lymphoma in Dogs Reveals Dichotomous Metabolic Signatures Distinguished by Oxidative Phosphorylation,” Frontiers in Oncology, 2020, 10: 307, https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2020.00307 [IF 4.14]; Stark AK, Davenport ECM, Patton DT, Scudamore CL, Vanhaesebroeck B, Veldhoen M, Garden OA, and Okkenhaug K, “Loss of PI3K Activity in Regulatory T Cells Leads to Neuronal Inflammation,” Journal of Immunology, July 1, 2020, 205(1): 78–89, https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.2000043 [IF 4.72]; and Ambrosini YM, Borcherding DC, Seo Y-J, Segarra S, Glanemann B, Garden OA, Neuber S, Muller U, Dang VD, Borts D, Atherly T, Willette A, Jergens AE, Mochel JP, and Allenspach K, “Treatment with Hydrolyzed Diet Supplemented with Prebiotics and Glycosaminoglycans Alters Lipid Metabolism in Canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease,” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2020, in press [IF 2.14].
Nancy Gartland, MS, EdD, received the 2020 Penn Vet Class of 2023 Laboratory Teaching Award.
Deborah Gillette, DVM, PhD, MsEd, received the 2020 Penn Vet Class of 2022 Laboratory Teaching Award.
Fuyu Guan, PhD, has been promoted to Research Professor of Equine Forensic Chemistry. In announcing Guan’s promotion, Dr. Katrin Hinrichs said, “His contributions have brought PETRL to the forefront in the area of equine forensic chemistry.”
Karina Guziewicz, PhD, presented Developing Transformative Therapies for Retinal Diseases at the IVERIC bio R&D meeting in San Francisco, on January 14, 2020, and BEST1 Related Retinal Diseases: Lessons from Naturally Occurring Canine Model and Development of AAV-Mediated Gene Therapy as part of the IVERIC bio Virtual Lecture Series on April 23, 2020.
Ronald Harty, PhD, published Han Z, Ruthel G, Dash S, Berry CT, Freedman BD, Harty RN, and Shtanko O, “Angiomotin Regulates Budding and Spread of Ebola Virus,” Journal of Biological Chemistry, June 19, 2020, 295(25): 8596–601, https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.AC120.013171. He also published Shepley-McTaggart A, Fan H, Sudol M, and Harty RN, “Viruses Go Modular,” Journal of Biological Chemistry, April 3, 2020, 295(14): 4604–16, https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.REV119.012414. He also published Han Z, Dash S, Sagum CA, Ruthel G, Jaladanki CK, Berry CT, Schwoerer MP, Harty NM, Freedman BD, Bedford MT, Fan H, Sidhu SS, Sudol M, Shtanko O, and Harty RN, “Modular Mimicry and Engagement of the Hippo Pathway by Marburg Virus VP40: Implications for Filovirus Biology and Budding,” PLOS Pathogens, January 6, 2020, 16(1): e1008231, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008231.
Rebecka Hess, DVM, MSCE, published O’Kell AL, Wasserfall CH, Henthorn PS, Atkinson MA, and Hess RS, “Evaluation for Type 1 Diabetes Associated Autoantibodies in Diabetic and Non-diabetic Australian Terriers and Samoyeds,” Canine Medicine and Genetics, 2020, 7(10), https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-020-00089-5.
Michaela Kristula, DVM, received the House Officer Mentoring Award, given to a faculty member who has demonstrated dedication and compassion in mentoring House Officers.
Charlotte Lacroix, DVM, JD, is a founding board member of the newly formed Veterinary Virtual Care Association (VVCA). This global nonprofit association is dedicated to developing best practices for delivering virtual care for animals, defining quality standards and protocols for practicing virtual care, sharing experiences among practice teams, engaging with virtual care providers, and advocating for policies in support of quality virtual care.
Mary Lassaline, DVM, PhD, DACVO, was appointed Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology in the Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine.
Brandon Lawson, BS, a research assistant in the Garden and Luo Immune Regulation Laboratory, authored his first publication (pending submission), a minireview of chimeric constructs of neurotransmitter receptors. Outside of the lab, Lawson partnered with ASAP Philadelphia to coach after-school public forum debate at G.W. Childs School in Point Breeze.
Sue Lindborg, CVT, BS, retired from New Bolton Center after forty years of providing teaching support and doing research in the Department of Clinical Studies.
Daniela Luethy, DVM, received the Academic Staff House Officer mentoring award, given to an academic staff member who has demonstrated dedication and compassion in mentoring House Officers.
Jim Marx, DVM, PhD, DACLAM, had an ASLAP grant to host two veterinary students interested in Laboratory Animal Medicine, which unfortunately had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In discussing ways to provide the students with some lab animal experience, he came to appreciate how much informal education was done by just casually discussing various topics with the students in our offices. Based on this, he organized the ASLAP Office Chats for vet students in laboratory animal medicine. Approximately twenty vet students interested in lab animal medicine participated in ten one-hour sessions presented by lab animal clinicians.
Nicola Mason, BVetMed, PhD, was promoted to Professor of Medicine.
Megan McClosky, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM) was promoted to Assistant Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine and Extracorporeal Therapies.
Kathryn McGonigle, DVM, MPH, received the 2020 Penn Vet Class of 2020 Philadelphia Teaching Award.
Kathryn Michel, DVM, MS, MSED, was appointed to the Educator and Faculty Development subgroup within the AAVMC Competency-Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) Working Group. Known as the Catalyze subgroup, it is one of three major components of the CBVE operations plan, with the goal of supporting faculty and curricular development by providing resources to enhance veterinary education.
Michael Mison, DVM, DACVS, received the Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award.
Keiko Miyadera, DVM, PhD, published Miyadera K et al., “Intrastromal Gene Therapy Prevents and Reverses Advanced Corneal Clouding in a Canine Model of Mucopolysaccharidosis I,” Molecular Therapy, June 3, 2020, 28(6): 1455–63, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.04.004. This new publication was on the cover of Molecular Therapy.
Megan Murray, VMD, received the 2020 Penn Vet Class of 2020 Philadelphia Resident Award.
Cris Navas, DVM, and the New Bolton Center Cardiology and Ultrasound Group organized an Equine Cardiology virtual research retreat in June 2020. Fifty researchers and scientists from eight countries met virtually over three days. Twenty-one abstracts were presented and each day breakout groups discussed topics related to Equine Cardiology. The presence of clinicians, researchers, internists, sports medicine specialists and cardiologists brought different perspectives and robust dialogue. Potential collaborations and calls for action were generated, particularly involving the development of standards for equine ECGs, echocardiography, and exercise associated deaths and injuries. The group hopes to expand activities in equine cardiology research. A summary of the retreat will be published in Equine Veterinary Journal in the fall as a science in brief report. The retreat was generously supported by Boehringer Ingelheim, Beaufort Cottage Educational Trust, and Gaeltec. In addition, with the support of the New Bolton Center Hospital and Department of Clinical Studies at New Bolton Center, Navas, Claire Underwood, and Olivia Lorello launched the New Bolton Center Telehealth Service to help veterinarians during the COVID-19 pandemic; its long-term mission is to improve animal health, foster a team approach to medicine, and create new learning opportunities for veterinarians and students worldwide.
Rose Nolen-Walston, DVM, received the CS-NBC Teaching Excellence Award, given to an outstanding full-time faculty member who has demonstrated a sincere and high level of interest in performing and advancing instruction in the professional student curriculum at Penn Vet. She also received the 2020 Penn Vet Class of 2023 Lecture Teaching Award.
Kyla Ortved, DVM, PhD, published Beste KJ, Ortved KF, Rossignol F, and Ducharme NG, “Transendoscopic Axial Division of Epiglottic Entrapments Using a Silicone-Covered Hook and Diode Laser in 29 Horses,” Veterinary Surgery, 2020, 49: 131–37. She also published PetersKennedy J, Lange CE, and Ortved KF, “Aural Plaques and Invasive Squamous Cell Carcinoma Associated with Equus Caballus Papillomavirus 4 (EcPV4) in a 28-Year-Old Thoroughbred Gelding,” Veterinary Dermatology, 2020. She also published Chapman HS, Gale AL, Dodson ME, Linardi RL, and Ortved KF, “The Effect of Autologous Platelet Lysate on the Differentiation Potential of Equine Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells,” Stem Cells and Development, 2020, 29: 144–55. She also published Brown K, Davidson EJ, Ortved KF, Stefanovski D, Ross MW, Wulster KB, and Levine DG, “Long-Term Outcome in Horses Undergoing Interspinous Ligament Desmotomy for Overriding Dorsal Spinous Processes,” Veterinary Surgery, 2020, 49: 590–99. She also published Haughan J, Jiang Z, Stefanovski D, Moss KL, Ortved KF, and Robinson MA, “Detection of Intra-Articular Gene Therapy in Horses Using Quantitative Real Time PCR in Synovial Fluid and Plasma,” Drug Testing and Analysis, 2020.
Cynthia M. Otto, DVM, PhD, presented Working with Working Dogs at the Wallis Annenberg Petspace Leadership Institute Retreat; Searching for Answers: How Detection Dogs Help Solve Important Research Questions, the keynote address at Janssen Pharmaceuticals; Canine Sports Medicine at SCIVAC Rimini, Italy (virtual); and The Scent of COVID19: How Dogs May Help in Rapid Screening at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory COVID/SARS CoV2 Rapid Research Reports. She published Kybert N, ProkopPrigge K, Otto CM, Ramirez L, Joffe E, Tanyi J, Piltz-Seymour J, Johnson ATC, and Preti G, “Exploring Ovarian Cancer Screening Using a Combined Sensor Approach: A Pilot Study,” AIP Advances, 2020, 10, 035213, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5144532; Essler JL, Wilson C, Verta AC, Feuer R, and Otto CM, “Differences in the Search Behavior of Cancer Detection Dogs Trained to Have Either a Sit or Stand-Stare Final Response,” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2020, https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00118; and Niedermeyer GM, Hare E, Brunker LK, Berk RA, Kelsey KM, Darling TA, Nord JL, Schmidt KK, and Otto CM, “A Randomized Cross-Over Field Study of Pre-Hydration Strategies in Dogs Tracking in Hot Environments,” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2020, https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00292.
Mark Oyama, DVM, MSCE, was named the Charlotte Newton Sheppard Endowed Chair of Medicine. He also received the 2020 Penn Vet Class of 2021 Philadelphia Teaching Award.
Dipti Pitta, BVSc, MVSc, PhD, received the Zoetis Research Excellence Award.
Courtney Pope, VMD, received the Boucher Award. Selected by the graduating veterinary class, the award is given based on teaching skills as recognized by the senior class; knowledge in the candidate’s area of expertise for their level of training; responsiveness to the needs of the students, including willingness to participate in off-hour seminars, discussions and teaching sessions; and dedication to New Bolton Center and to the veterinary profession.
Jenni Punt, VMD, PhD, received a Penn Undergraduate Research Mentorship award for summer 2020 to support two Penn students to join a group of ten high school, undergraduate, and Penn Vet students in the CANIINE Project (for Cancer, Immunity, Infection, and Education). Now in its second year, the project engages students in original research on the immune response of Penn Vet canine patients. This year students Zoom in every day from Delaware, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to make new discoveries using original research generated by undergraduates in Penn’s Bio425 course.
Patrick Reilly, Grad Dip. ELR, graduated with distinction in the first US-based course in Equine Locomotor Research from the Royal Veterinary College of London. He received an award for outstanding research project on the influence of horseshoes and surfaces on mid-stance hoof angle.
Alexander Reiter, DrMedVet, Dipl. AVDC, EVDC, gave feline and canine dentistry courses for the Improve International organization in Kusatsu, Japan, in January 2020. He became an expert peer reviewer for the American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Health Foundation in April 2020. He published EberspächerSchweda MC, Schmitt K, Handschuh S, FuchsBaumgartinger A, and Reiter AM, “Diagnostic Yield of MicroComputed Tomography (Micro-CT) Versus Histopathology of a Canine Oral Fibrosarcoma,” Journal of Veterinary Dentistry 2020, 37: 14–21. He also published Reiter AM, “Effects of Diets, Treats, and Additives on Periodontal Disease,” Today’s Veterinary Practice January/ February 2020: 23–26. He was the section editor and author/ co-author of fourteen chapters on dentistry and oral surgery in L Cohn and E Cote (eds.), Clinical Veterinary Advisor, 4th ed., 2020. He was the co-author, with MM Soltero-Rivera, of “Diseases of the Oral Cavity and Salivary Glands,” in D Bruyette (ed.), Clinical Small Animal Internal Medicine, 2020: 533–46.
Dean Richardson, DVM, received the Robert Whitlock Award, given to the faculty member who has demonstrated the most dedication to mentoring young faculty.
Mary Robinson, VMD, PhD, DACVCP, published Moss KL, Jiang Z, Dodson ME, Linardi RL, Haughan J, Gale AL, Grzybowski C, Engiles JE, Stefanovski D, Robinson MA, and Ortved KF, “Sustained Interleukin-10 Transgene Expression Following Intraarticular AAV5-IL-10 Administration to Horses,” Human Gene Therapy, 2020, 31: 110–18, https://doi.org/10.1089/hum.2019.195. She also published Morgan J, Ross M, Levine D, Stefanovski D, You Y, Robinson MA, and Davidson E, “Effects of Acepromazine and Xylazine on Subjective and Objective Forelimb Lameness,” Equine Veterinary Journal, December 20, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13225. She also published Guan F, Fay S, Li X, You Y, and Robinson MA, “Identification of Ex Vivo Catabolites of Peptides with Doping Potential in Equine Plasma by HILIC-HRMS,” Drug Testing and Analysis, February 25, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.2781. She also published Haughan J, Jiang Z, Stefanovski D, Moss KL, Ortved KF, and Robinson MA, “Detection of Intra-Articular Gene Therapy in Horses Using Quantitative Real Time PCR in Synovial Fluid and Plasma,” Drug Testing and Analysis, March 4, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.2785.
Dieter Schifferli, PhD, DrMedVet, published Wu Y, Hu Q, Dehinwal R, Rakov AV, Grams N, Clemens EC, Hofmann J, Okeke IN, and Schifferli DM, “The Not So Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Differential Bacterial Adhesion and Invasion Mediated by Salmonella PagN Allelic Variants,” Microorganisms, 2020, 8(4): 489, https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8040489, PMID 32235448.
Deborah Silverstein, DVM, DACVECC, presented a virtual lecture at Brazilian Emergency and Critical Care Veterinary Conference in July 2020. She published Wolf JM, Stefanovski D, and Silverstein DC, “Retrospective Evaluation of the Influence of Azotemia on Plasma Lactate Concentrations in Hypotensive Dogs and Cats (2008–2018): 337 cases,” Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, June 2020, 30(3).
Devon Simone, LVT, received the 2020 Penn Vet Class of 2020 NBC Nursing Award.
Michelle Strolle, CVT, received the 2020 Penn Vet Class of 2020 Philadelphia Nursing Award.
Corinne Sweeney, DVM, joined the Board of Directors of the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) as Immediate Past-Chair in June 2020. RCI is composed of governmental regulators of horse and greyhound racing in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, Trinidad-Tobago, and the Equestrian Club of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Charles Vite, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Neurology), published Yoon SY, Hunter JE, Chawla S, Clarke DL, Molony CM, O’Donnell PA, Bagel JH, Kumar M, Poptani H, Vite CH, and Wolfe JH, “Global Central Nervous System Correction in a Large Brain Model of Human Alpha-mannosidosis by Intravascular Gene Therapy,” Brain, July 2020, 143(7): 2058–72, https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaa161. He also published Bradbury AM, Bagel JH, Nguyen D, Lykken E, Pesayco-Salvador J, Jiang X, Swain GP, Hendricks IJ, Miyadera K, Hess RS, Ostrager A, ODonnell P, Sands MS, Ory DS, Shelton GD, Bongarzone ER, Gray SJ, and Vite CH, “Krabbe Disease Successfully Treated via Monotherapy of Intrathecal Gene Therapy,” Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2020, 130(9) 4906– 20, https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI133953. He also published Corado CR, Pinkstaff J, Jiang X, Galban EM, Fisher SJ, Scholler O, Russell C, Bagel JH, ODonnell PA, Ory DS, Vite CH, and Bradbury AM, “Cerebrospinal Fluid and Serum Glycosphingolipid Biomarkers in Canine Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy,” Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, January 2020, 102: 103451; Sidhu R, Kell P, Dietzen DJ, Farhat NY, Do AND, Porter FD, Berry-Kravis E, Vite CH, Reunert J, Marquardt T, Giugliani R, Lourenço CM, Bodamer O, Wang RY, Plummer E, Schaffer JE, Ory DS, and Jiang X, “Application of N-palmitoyl-Ophosphocholineserine for Diagnosis and Assessment of Response to Treatment in Niemann-Pick Type C Disease,” Molecular Genetics and Metabolism, 2020, 129: 292–302, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymgme.2020.01.007; and Kao ML, Stellar S, Solon, E, Lordi A, Kasica N, Swain G, Bagel JH, Gurda BL, and Vite CH, “Pharmacokinetics and Distribution of 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin Following a Single Intrathecal Dose to Cats,” Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease, 2020, 43(3): 618–34, https://doi.org/10.1002/jimd.12189.
P. Jeremy Wang, MD, PhD, received the 2021 Society for the Study of Reproduction Research Award.
Brittany Watson, VMD, PhD, MS, DACVPM, was appointed Associate Professor of Clinical Shelter Medicine. She presented Community Engagement and Adapting to the Time of COVID-19 at the ASPCA Cornell Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Conference in July 2020 and High Quality, High Volume Spay/ Neuter (HQHVSN) at the Association of Charity Vets Conference in February 2020. She published Stavisky J, Watson B, Dean R, Merritt BL, Van Der Leij RWJR, and Serlin R, “Development of International Learning Outcomes for Shelter Medicine in Veterinary Education: A Delphi Approach,” Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, (in press). She also published Perley K, Burns CC, Maguire C, Shen V, Joffe E, Stefanovski D, Redding L, Germanis L, Drobatz KJ, and Watson B, “Retrospective Evaluation of Outpatient Canine Parvovirus Treatment in a ShelterBased Low-Cost Urban Clinic,” Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, March/April 2020, 30(2): 202–8, https://doi.org/10.1111/vec.12941. She also published Edgerton EB, McCrea AR, Berry T, Kwok JY, Thompson LK, Watson B, Fuller EM, Nolan TJ, Lok JB, and Povelones M, “Activation of Mosquito Immunity Blocks the Development of TransmissionStage Filarial Nematodes,” PNAS, February 18, 2020, 117(7): 3711–17, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1909369117.
Nicole Weinstein, DVM, received the 2020 Penn Vet Class of 2022 Lecture Teaching Award.
John Wolfe, VMD, PhD, led a team that successfully applied a gene therapy platform to completely correct brain defects in a large animal model of a human genetic disease. The study was published in the journal Brain. Read more about the study at https://www.vet.upenn.edu/about/press-room/press-releases/article/getting-gene-therapy-to-the-brain.
Julia Ying Wu, PhD, first-authored two manuscripts: “Immunoregulatory Cells as Potential Biomarkers in Myasthenia Gravis” and “MyeloidDerived Suppressor Cell and Regulatory T cell Frequencies in Canine Myasthenia Gravis—A Pilot Study,” are in review at Frontiers in Neurology and Veterinary Journal, respectively. Wu shared data and insights with a team of young researchers in Jenni Punt’s CANIINE Virtual Summer Research Program. Lawton Chiles High School junior Surabhi Kumar, Penn undergraduate Carly Seligman, and rising second year Penn Vet student Reshmi Sensharma analyzed Wu’s data generated from canine myasthenia gravis patients. Sensharma presented the team’s results at the 2020 National Veterinary Scholars Symposium, which was held virtually in August. Wu is affiliated with the Garden and Luo Immune Regulation Lab.
Grants
Gustavo Aguirre, VMD, PhD, received a $87,181 grant from the Poodle Club of America for Genetic Test Development for Inherited Eye Diseases in Poodles. The grant spans from January 2020 to July 2021.
Montserrat Anguera, PhD, received a $505,000 grant from the NIH-NIAID for COVID-19 Related Research to Investigate Whether the X-Linked Gene ACE2 Escapes X-Chromosome Inactivation in Human and Mouse Alveolar Type 2 Cells. Her collaborator is Andrew Vaughan.
Dan Beiting, PhD, received a $275,000 grant through a sponsored research agreement with Astarte Medical to support the loading of microbiome datasets from term and preterm infants into the MicrobiomeDB database and to develop analytic tools to interrogate these data. The grant spans from June 23, 2020, to July 31, 2022. He received an additional $301,126 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for Ensuring Access and Effective Use of Clinical and Epidemiological Datasets, to develop web-based tools that allow users to carry out crossdatabase queries between MicrobiomeDB and related clinical, epidemiological, and genomic database resources. In addition, this award supports the development of data visualization and statistical tools for interrogating longitudinal microbiome datasets. This grant spans from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2022. His collaborator for these two grants is David Roos, Department of Biology. Beiting also received a $30,000 grant from Penn Med’s Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics and the Program in Comparative Animal Biology to facilitate studies on the interactions between bacteria, metabolites, and host immune signaling in a three-dimensional in vitro model of the intestinal epithelium. The grant spans from February 1, 2020, to January 31, 2021. His collaborator is Sara Cherry (Penn Med).
William Beltran, DVM, PhD, received a $500,000 grant for annual direct costs from the Foundation Fighting Blindness for Penn Large Animal Model Translational and Research Center. The grant spans from July 2020 to June 2025.
Stephen Cole, VMD, MS, DACVM, received a $33,220 grant from the PSOM McCabe Fund for Tracking Resistance to Antimicrobials in Canine Environments (TRACE): A Pilot Study to Investigate Contamination of Dog Raw Food Diets with ESBL and CarbapenemResistant Enterobacteriaceae. The grant spans from August 2020 to July 2021.
Julie Engiles, VMD, DACVP, received a $4,960 grant from the Pennsylvania Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission for a retrospective analysis of fatal West Nile virus encephalitis in Pennsylvania horses from 2009 to 2019 and correlation with climate, human, and avian disease. The grant spans from January 2020 to December 2020. She is affiliated with New Bolton Center Pathology/PADLS. Her collaborators are Jolie Demchur, Heather Clarke, and Betsy Schroeder.
Karina Guziewicz, PhD, received a $228,509 grant from IVERIC bio SRA for Preclinical Assessment of IC-200 AAV-BEST1 Vector in WT Retina. The grant spans from January 2020 to November 2020. She also received a $206,431 grant from IVERIC bio SRA for AAV-hBEST1-Mediated Disease Reversal in cBest-Heterozygous Model. The grant spans from March 2020 to March 2022. She also received a $201,250 NIH/NEI R21-Y2 (EY029826) grant for the Role of a Novel Scaffold Protein in Mediating RPE Phagocytosis of Photoreceptor OS. The grant spans from March 2020 to February 2021. She also received a $54,880 grant from the NYEE Foundation, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, for Imaging Mass Spectrometry (IMS) for Characterization of cBest Molecular Signatures. The grant spans from January 2020 to January 2021. She is collaborating with Dr. RT Smith’s lab.
Ronald Harty, PhD, received a $275,000 NIH R21-EY-031465 grant for Predicted Role of Ebola VP40-Host Interactions in Ocular Pathology and Persistence. The grant spans from April 2020 to March 2022. His collaborator is Dr. Dongeun Huh, Penn Bioengineering.
Jie Luo, PhD, received a $150,000 grant from the Transdisciplinary Awards Program in Translational Medicine and Therapeutics for developing antigen-specific immunosuppressive treatment strategies for myasthenia gravis by adoptive transfer of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) regulatory T cells, leveraging a rodent model of the disease that his team has developed. Myasthenia gravis is characterized by weakness and rapid fatigue of any of the muscles under a patient’s voluntary control. MG is caused by antibody-mediated autoimmune responses to muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Current treatment is an arduous process involving attempts to control the progression of the disease and decrease the symptoms, often fraught with undesirable side effects. The grant spans from February 2020 to January 2022. Luo is affiliated with the Garden and Luo Immune Regulation Laboratory. His collaborator is James Riley.
Leonardo Murgiano, PhD, received a $46,504 grant from the Collie Health Foundation for Molecular Mapping and Characterization of the Genetic Modifier Associated with Collie Eye Anomaly. The grant spans from July 2020 to December 2022. He is affiliated with the Aguirre lab.
Cris Navas, DVM, received a $30,233 grant from the Thomas B. McCabe and Jeannette E. Laws McCabe Fund for Injury Prevention in Equine Athletes through Mobile Health and Data Analytics. The goal of this research is to set the foundation for a program to prevent injuryand exercise-associated deaths using an innovative approach that combines rider-friendly fitness trackers and data science. His collaborator is Mutian Niu.
Kyla Ortved, DVM, PhD, received a $119,160 grant from the Clinical and Translational Science Award One Health Alliance for Development of an Injectable Hydrogel for Sustained Release of Extracellular Vesicles as a Treatment for Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis. The grant spans from 2020 to 2022. Her collaborators are Tom Schaer and Jason Burdick. She also received a $11,750 grant from the Raymond Firestone Trust of the University of Pennsylvania for Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles in Synovial Fluid of Horses with Naturally Occurring Osteoarthritis. The grant spans from 2020 to 2021. She received an additional $11,800 grant from the Raymond Firestone Trust of the University of Pennsylvania for Characterization of the Immunomodulatory Properties of Equine Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles. The grant spans from 2020 to 2021.
Cynthia M. Otto, DVM, PhD, received a $494,400 NIH grant for Platelet Factor 4, KKO and Heparins in NETosis in Sepsis. The grant spans from May 10, 2020 to April 30, 2025. Her collaborators are Deb Silverstein, Katie Mauro, and Morty Poncz (CHOP). She also received a DHS/Battelle Memorial Institute subcontract from a $267,573 grant for Behavioral Characterization of Explosives Detection Dogs for Selection of Positive and Negative Traits. The grant spans from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. Her collaborator is James Serpell. She also received a $242,246 grant from Wildlife Futures/Pennsylvania Game Commission for "A Proof of Concept: Are Detection Dogs a Useful Tool to Screen WhiteTailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Feces for CWD?" The grant spans from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021.
Mark Oyama DVM, MSCE, received a $160,311 R01-HL107904-09 grant for Affordable Delivery of Human Therapeutics Proteins Bioencapsulated in Plant Cells. The grant spans from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2022. His collaborator is Henry Daniell.
Jenni Punt, VMD, PhD, received an $11,000 grant from Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, providing stipends for two Penn undergraduates and a small supply budget. The grant spans from May 2020 to August 2020. Her collaborators are John Wagner and Jean Scholz.
Mary Robinson, VMD, PhD, DACVCP, received a $881,000 grant from several private donors to establish the Racehorse Medication Research Fund, which will enable the study of the effects of furosemide and bisphosphonates on bone using a PET scanner coupled with CT scanning and biomarkers. The grant spans from August 2020 to August 2022. She is affiliated with the Penn Vet Equine Pharmacology Laboratory and the Penn Vet Extracellular Vesicle Core Facility. Her collaborators are Dr. Kathryn Wulster, Dean Andrew Hoffman, Dr. Kyla Ortved, Dr. Cristobal Navas de Solis, Dr. Claire Underwood, Dr. Virginia Reef, Dr. Darko Stefanovski, Dr. Rachel Derita, Dr. Joanne Haughan, Dr. Youwen You, Dr. Jinwen Chen, and Dr. Zibin Jiang. Read more about the research fund at https://www.vet.upenn.edu/about/press-room/press-releases/article/a-tipping-point-for-catastrophic-injuries-in-racehorses-penn-vet-researchers-seek-answers-in-novel-interaction-study.
Kotaro Sasaki, PhD, MD, received a $131,223 RFA #67-80 grant from the 2018 Health Research Formula Fund for Development and Maturation of Male Germline Stem Cells. The grant spans from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2023. His collaborator is Sandra Ryeom.
Deborah Silverstein, DVM, DACVECC, received a $9,320 grant from the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care for Establishment of a Reference Interval for Thiamine Levels in Healthy Dogs and Evaluation of the Prevalence of Absolute Thiamine Deficiency in Critically Ill Dogs With and Without Sepsis Using HighPerformance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The grant spans from August 2020 to August 2021. Her collaborator Noa Berlin of Tufts University.
Andy Vaughan, PhD, received a five-year, $250,000 direct-peryear grant from the NIH/NHLBI to address the hypothesis that inactivation/ablation of ectopic SCCs will promote the resolution of dysplastic remodeling and reduce chronic Th2-biased inflammatory disease, but may also increase susceptibility to pathogens controlled by Th2 responses following influenza infection. The major aims to address this hypothesis are to ascertain the effects of SCC presence and specific SCC-derived signals on epithelial progenitor cells (fate and proliferation) during repair, and determine whether the development of SCCs impacts Th2-mediated inflammatory disease (asthma) or parasitic protection. Completion of this project will validate SCCs as important drivers of pulmonary disease and will also facilitate identification of specific SCC effector pathways that could allow for preservation of hostprotective benefits while attenuating their contribution to pathology.
Charles Vite, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Neurology), received a five-year $2,273,837 direct costs NIH R01 NS115869-01A1 grant to optimize the transduction of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum and transduction of the brain stem using adeno-associated viral vector serotypes. The hope is to attenuate clinical dysfunction and pathology in cats with Niemann-Pick disease type C1 disease and to translate this therapy into children. He also received a five-year $3,242,134 NIH-R01 NS115869 grant to investigate optimized techniques to deliver a membrane-bound protein to the lysosome to treat NPC disease. His collaborator for both grants is Steven Gray of the University of Texas Southwestern.