Gary Althouse, DVM, PhD, chaired the Boar Studs and Herd Breeding Performance seminar at the virtual 52nd Annual AASV Meeting. He also presented Avoiding disruption to the semen supply chain.
Jorge Alvarez, PhD, published Benallegue N, Kebir H, Kapoor R, Crockett A, Li C, Cheslow L, Abdel-Hakeem MS, Gesualdi J, Miller MC, Wherry EJ, Church ME, Blanco MA, Alvarez JI, “The hedgehog pathway suppresses neuropathogenesis in CD4 T cell-driven inflammation,” Brain, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awab083. He also published Casella G, Rasouli J, Thome R, Descamps HC, Vattikonda A, Ishikawa L, Boehm A, Hwang D, Zhang W, Xiao D, Park J, Zhang GX, Alvarez JI, Rostami A, and Ciric B, “Interferon-γ/ Interleukin-27 Axis Induces Programmed Death Ligand 1 Expression in Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells and Restores Immune Tolerance in Central Nervous System Autoimmunity,” Frontiers in Immunology, 2020, https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.576752.
Monserrat Anguera, PhD, was named a Penn Fellow for 2020–2021. The Penn Fellows Program provides leadership development to select Penn faculty in mid-career. Begun in 2009, it includes opportunities to build alliances across the university, meet distinguished academic leaders, think strategically about University governance, and consult with Penn’s senior administrators.
William Beltran, DVM, PhD, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (class of 2020).
Zhengxia Dou, PhD, presented as part of Climate Week at Penn, The Farm of the Future Series, and the Penn in China Faculty Speaker Series: The Future of Food in China. She published Liu L, Guo Y, Tu Y, Zhang N, Bai Z, Chadwick D, Dou Z, and Ma L, “A Higher Water-Soluble Phosphorus Supplement in Pig Diet Improves the Whole System Phosphorus Use Efficiency,” Journal of Cleaner Production, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122586. She also published Wang X, Dou Z, Shi X, et al., “Innovative Management Programme Reduces Environmental Impacts in Chinese Vegetable Production,” Nature Food, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-020-00199-0. She also published Dou Z, Stefanovski D, Galligan D, Lindem M, Rozin P, Chen T, and Chao A, “The COVID-19 Pandemic Impacting Household Food Dynamics: A Cross-National Comparison of China and the U.S. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems,” Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2021, https://doi. org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.577153. She also published Dou Z and Toth J, “Global Primary Data on Consumer Food Waste: Rate and Characteristics, a Review,” Resources, Conservation, and Recycling, 2020, https://doi. org/10.1016/j.resconrec. 2020.105332. She also published Dou Z, “Leveraging Livestock to Promote a Circular Food System,” Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering, 2020, https://doi.org/10.15302/J-FASE-2020370.
Bernd Driessen, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECVPT, Dipl. ACVAA and Klaus Hopster, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECVAA completed the 2020 Equine Anesthesia, Analgesia and Perioperative Care Program, a three-module certificate course for European equine practitioners and veterinary nurses organized with logistical assistance from VetBloom/Ethos Veterinary Health and Narkovet Consulting. The two anesthesiologists from New Bolton Center were joined by Charlotte Hopster-Iversen, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECEIM and Associate Professor of Large Animal Internal Medicine at Copenhagen University (DK), who taught about neonatal diseases and perioperative care of the foal. The course was offered virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic; the online format will continue in the future with the intent of reaching more equine veterinarians and veterinary nurses.
Raimon Duran-Struuck, DVM, PhD, DACLAM, was promoted to associate professor (CE) in the Department of Pathobiology. He published Matar AJ, Crepeau RL, and Duran-Struuck R, “Cellular Immunotherapies in Preclinical Large Animal Models of Transplantation,” Journal of Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbmt.2020.09.032.
Diane Eigner, VMD, MBA, is president-elect of the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care. Her company, The Cat Whispurrr, offers end-of-life care for cats.
Serge Fuchs, MD, PhD, was appointed as the Elizabeth and William Whitney Clark Professor of Oncology.
Ronald Harty, PhD, published Liang J, Ruthel G, Sagum D, Bedford M, Sidhu S, Sudol M, Jaladanki C, Fan H, Freedman B, and Harty R, “Angiomotin Counteracts the Negative Regulatory Effect of Host WWOX on Viral PPxY-Mediated Egress Host Regulation of Viral PPxY-Mediated Egress,” Journal of Virology, 2021, in press.
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, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-020-00089-5. She also published Mui ML, Famula TR, Henthorn PS, and Hess RS, “Heritability and Complex Segregation Analysis of Naturally Occurring Diabetes in Australian Terrier Dogs,” PLOS ONE, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239542. She also published Shea EK and Hess RS, “Assessment of Postprandial Hyperglycemia and Circadian Fluctuation of Glucose Concentrations in Diabetic Dogs Using a Flash Glucose Monitoring System,” Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16046.
Katrin Hinrichs, DVM, PhD, Dipl ACT, received the 2020 Research Award from the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Hinrichs was also awarded an honorary doctorate from Belgium’s Ghent University for her research in the field of equine ART.
David E. Holt, BVSc, published Newton A, Predina J, Mison M, Runge J, Bradley C, Stefanovski D, Singhal S, and Holt DE, “Intraoperative Near-Infrared Imaging Can Identify Canine Mammary Tumors, A Spontaneously Occurring, Large Animal Model of Human Breast Cancer, PLOS ONE, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234791. He also published Holt D, Singhal S, and Selmic LE, “Near-Infrared Imaging and Optical Coherence Tomography for Intraoperative Visualization of Tumors,” Veterinary Surgery, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1111/ vsu.13332. He also published Evans BJ, Holt DE, Stefanovski D, and Sorenmo KU, “Factors Influencing Complications Following Mastectomy Procedures in Dogs with Mammary Gland Tumors: 140 Cases (2009-2015),” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2021, https://doi. org/10.2460/javma.258.3.295.
Nicola Mason, BVetMed, PhD, and Daniel Powell (Penn Med) were named to the advisory board of the Comparative Oncology Research Consortium (CORC), a V Foundation–funded research consortium designed to support canine comparative oncology research to accelerate cancer cures in both human and canine cancer patients. In addition, Mason published LeBlanc A, Atherton M, Bentley TR, Boudreau E, Burton J, Curran K, Dow S, Giuffrida M, Kellihan H, Mason N, Oblak M, Selmic L, Selting K, Singh A, Tjostheim S, Vail D, Weishaar K, Berger E, Rossmeisl J, and Mazcko C, “Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group—Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (VCOG-CTCAE v2) Following Investigational Therapy in Dogs and Cats,” Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1111/vco.12677. She also published Atherton MJ, Lenz J, and Mason NJ, “Sarcomas: A Barren Immunological Wasteland or Field of Opportunity for Immunotherapy?” Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1111/vco.12595. She also published Mason NJ, “Comparative Immunology and Immunotherapy of Canine Osteosarcoma,” Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43085-6_14.
Sue McDonnell, PhD, chaired the annual meeting of the Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Wild Horse and Burrow National Advisory Board, September 23–24, 2020. She taught the Horse Behavior Five-Day Short Course, November 1–5, 2020, for ACVB residents from the US, Canada, Australia, and Abu Dhabi. She served on the Morris Animal Foundation Scientific Advisory Board Grant Review, November– December 2020. In addition, she presented Understanding and Managing Aggression in Breeding Stallions and Starting a Novice Breeding Stallion at the Mexican Association of Veterinary Physicians Equine Specialists (AMMVEE) XLII Annual Congress, January 13–15, 2021. And she presented Low-Stress Handling of Horses for Veterinary Care at the Alberta Veterinary Technologist Association webinar on January 16, 2021.
Keiko Miyadera, DVM, PhD, published Murgiano L, Becker D, Spector C, Carlin K, Santana E, Niggel JK, Jagannathan V, Leeb T, Pearce-Kelling S, Aguirre GD, Miyadera K, “CCDC66 Frameshift Variant Associated with a New Form of Early-Onset Progressive Retinal Atrophy in Portuguese Water Dogs,” Scientific Reports, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77980-5.
Daniel Morris, DVM, MPH, will deliver the keynote address, The Epidemiology of Transmission and Antimicrobial Resistance in Cutaneous Pathogens, at the North American Veterinary Dermatology Forum in April 2021.
Thomas Parsons, VMD, PhD, presented California Proposition 12: What are the specifics and how can producers manage at the 52nd Annual AASV Meeting.
Meghann Pierdon, VMD, chaired the Welfare and the Swine Veterinarian session at the virtual 52nd Annual AASV Meeting. She also presented Practical solutions for enrichment.
Ellen Puré, PhD, published Barrett R and Puré E, “Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts: Key Determinants of Tumor Immunity and Immunotherapy,” Current Opinion in Immunology, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coi.2020.03.004. She also published Barrett RL and Puré E, “Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts and Their Influence on Tumor Immunity and Immunotherapy,” eLife, 2020, https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.57243.
Mary A. Robinson, VMD, PhD, DACVCP, published Robinson MA, Stefanovski D, You Y, Boston R, and Soma LR, “Bayesian-Based Withdrawal Estimates Using Pharmacokinetic Parameters for Two Capsaicinoid-Containing Products Administered to Horses,” Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1111/jvp.12939. She also published You Y, Proctor RM, Guo K, Li X, Xue E, Guan F, and Robinson MA, “Use of High Resolution/Accurate Mass Full Scan/Data-Dependent Acquisition for Targeted/ Non-Targeted Screening in Equine Doping Control,” Analytical Methods, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1039/D0AY02297G. In addition, she and Dr. Laurel Redding and Dr. Joanne Haughan supported first-year veterinary student Lakshmi Sastry, who received an BI/NIH summer research scholarship and presented a poster titled Variability Found in NSAID Prescription Patterns at Thoroughbred and Standardbred Racetracks in Pennsylvania at the 2020 Veterinary Student Scholars Symposium. They also supported first-year veterinary student Katie Dorph, who presented a poster titled Characterization of Antimicrobial Prescriptions Administered at Pennsylvania Race Tracks at the 10th International Conference on Antimicrobial Agents in Veterinary Medicine.
Antonia Rotolo, PhD, MD, received the American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy (ASCGT) Career Development Award and a Cayman’s Women in Research Award. She presented CRISPR-Cas9 Knock Out of CD5 Enhances the Anti-Tumor Activity of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells at the 62nd Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology in San Diego, December 5–8, 2020.
Kotaro Sasaki, PhD, MD, published Hwang YS, Suzuki S, Seita Y, Ito J, Sakata Y, Aso H, Sato K, Hermann BP, and Sasaki K, “Reconstitution of Prospermatogonial Specification in Vitro from Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Nature Communications, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19350-3.
Deborah Silverstein, DVM, DACVECC, spoke at the University of Pennsylvania’s Royal Canin–sponsored webinar contrasting refeeding syndrome in dogs, cats, and humans.
Raghavi Sudharsan, PhD, published Sudharsan R, Murgiano L, Tang HY, Olsen TW, Chavali VRM, Aguirre GD, and Beltran WA, “Short Prolactin Isoforms Are Expressed in Photoreceptors of Canine Retinas Undergoing Retinal Degeneration,” Scientific Reports, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80691-6.
Charles Vite, DVM, PhD, Dipl ACVIM (Neurology) was elected to the Philadelphia College of Physicians. In addition, he joined the Canine Committee of The Seeing Eye.
Susan Volk, VMD, PhD, Dipl ACVS, published Rosen S, Brisson BK, Durham AC, Munroe CM, McNeill CJ, Stefanovski D, Sørenmo KU, and Volk SW, “Intratumoral Collagen Signatures Predict Clinical Outcomes in Feline Mammary Carcinoma,” PLOS ONE, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236516.
Jeremy Wang, PhD, MD, published Yang F, Lan Y, Pandey RR, Homolka D, Berger SL, Pillai RS, Bartolomei MS, and Wang PJ, “TEX15 Associates with MILI and Silences Transposable Elements in Male Germ Cells,” Genes and Development, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1101/gad.335489.119. He also published Guo R, Xu Y, Leu NA, Zhang L, Fuchs S, Ye L, and Wang PJ, “The ssDNA-Binding Protein MEIOB Acts as a Dosage-Sensitive Regulator of Meiotic Recombination,” Nucleic Acids Research, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkaa1016.
Grants
Gustavo Aguirre, VMD, PhD, received a $417,043 NEI/NIH R-01 grant for Models for Therapy of Hereditary Retinal Degeneration. The grant spans from December 1, 2020 to November 30, 2021. His collaborator is Keiko Miyadera, DVM, PhD. He also received a $544,425 NEI/NIH R-01 grant for Translational Research for Retinal Degeneration Therapies. The grant spans from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021. His collaborator is William Beltran, DVM, PhD.
Gary Althouse, DVM, PhD, received a $99,591 grant from the Pennsylvania Center for Poultry and Livestock Excellence for Development of User-Friendly Veterinary Telemedicine Services to Improve Healthcare Access and Outcomes in Rural Areas of Pennsylvania. The grant spans from January 2021 to December 2021. His collaborator is Gilbert Patterson (Co-PI) of VetNOW.
Montserrat Anguera, PhD, received a $524,616 grant from the Lupus Research Alliance for Targeting the Inactive X for Correcting Dosage Imbalances in Lupus. The grant spans from May 15, 2020 to May 15, 2023.
William Beltran, DVM, PhD, received a $896,713 grant from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for Canine Retinal Disease Models for Translational Photoreceptor Regeneration. The grant spans from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021. He also received a $2,375,000 grant from the Foundation for Fighting Blindness for the Penn Large Animal Model Translational & Research Center. The grant spans from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. He also received a $213,628 from Opsis Therapeutics for Digital Operating Ophthalmic Microscope. The grant spans from July 15, 2020 to July 14, 2021.
Raimon Duran-Struuck, DVM, PhD, DACLAM, received a two-year, $150,000 grant from ITMAT-TAPIMAT for CAR Treg Technology for Immune Tolerance to Skin Allografts. His collaborators Jim Riley, PhD and Scott Levin, MD.
Julie Ellis, PhD, received a $26,416 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to document the types, prevalence, and concentrations of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) that fishers, bobcats, and otters are exposed to via liver samples from legally harvested animals; map AR hotspots and investigate spatial drivers of exposure; and, within fishers, relate local population trends to exposure profile. The study will provide important baseline data for Pennsylvania, and by comparing to New York, will provide the opportunity to compare across a larger landscape, and assess population-level impacts of AR exposure in fisher in New York and Pennsylvania. The grant spans from November 2020 to May 2022. Ellis is affiliated with the Wildlife Futures Program. Her collaborators are Lisa Murphy (Penn Vet), Aaron Facka (PA Game Commission), Jacqueline Frair (SUNY ESF), and Krysten Schuler (Cornell University). She also received a $30,000 grant from ITMAT PICAB for Investigating Red Cell Reservoirs to Detect Emerging Pathogens in Mammalian Hosts. The grant spans from February 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022. Her collaborators are Nilam Mangalmurti (Penn Med), Eman Anis (Penn Vet), Greg Turner, and Andrew DiSalvo (Pennsylvania Game Commission).
Serge Fuchs, MD, PhD, received a $1,329,040 NIH R01 grant for Type I Interferon Pathway in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. The grant spans from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2025. He also received a $1,143,750 NIH R01 grant for Reactivation of Type I Interferon Pathway to Increase the Efficacy of Chemotherapy. The grant spans from March 3, 2020 to February 28, 2025.
Karina Guziewicz, PhD, received a $306,302 grant from IvericBIO for SOW #8: Non-Clinical Efficacy and Toxicity IND-Enabling Study of AAV2/2-BEST1 (IC-200) Gene Therapy Delivered by Subretinal Injection in a Canine Model of Best Disease. The grant spans from November 17, 2020 to December 31, 2021.
Ronald Harty, PhD, received a $3,000,000 NIH/NIAID grant for R42-STTR Phase II, Development of Small Molecule Therapeutics Targeting Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses. The grant spans from April 2021 to March 2024. His collaborators are the Fox Chase Chemical Diversity Center and the Texas Biomedical Research Institute. He also received a $275,000 NIH/NIAID grant for R21, Role of Host Angiomotin as a Central Regulator of Filovirus Egress and Dissemination. The grant spans from April 2021 to March 2023. His collaborator is the Texas Biomedical Research Institute.
Christopher Hunter, PhD, received a $572,675 NIH R01 grant for Neuronal Latency and Toxoplasma. The grant spans from September 23, 2020 to August 31, 2025.
Michaela Kristula, DVM, MS, received a $9,348 grant from the Pennsylvania Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission for the novel implementation of the National Dairy FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) Program on a Pennsylvania dairy. The pilot project will help use worker and management input when determining what areas to focus on and how to establish a training program. The grant spans from January 2021 to December 2021. Her collaborator is Tara Gaab. Kristula also received a $10,578 grant from the Frances Chaney Glover Field Service Research Fund for the comparison of different management strategies on the quality of reclaimed sand used for bedding. The grant spans from January 2021 to December 2021. Her collaborators are Billy I. Smith, Sarah Cady, and Emily Egolf.
Christopher Lengner, PhD, received a $283,499 NIH R01 grant to study the basis for and function of enteroendocrine lineage plasticity in the intestinal DNA damage response. The grant spans from May 5, 2020 to April 30, 2024. He also received a $153,000 grant from Calico Labs for forward genetic screening in colorectal cancer organoids. The grant spans from August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2022. Lengner and Andres Blanco, PhD, received an additional $306,030 grant from Calico Labs for this work. That grant also spans from August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2022.
Nicola Mason, BVetMed, PhD, received a $240,714 NIH/NCI U24 supplement grant for a comparative analysis of human and canine invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells for adoptive cell therapy. The grant spans from September 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022. Her collaborators are Dr. Antonia Rotolo, Dr. Gerald Linette, and Dr. Mingyao Li.
Lisa Murphy, VMD, received a $14,535 FDA grant for Improving Capacity to Increase Throughput and Minimize Cross-Contamination During Sample Processing Utilizing a Bead Mill Homogenizer. The grant spans from September 20, 2020 to August 31, 2021.
Cynthia Otto, DVM, PhD, received a $494,400 NIH P01 grant for Studies of Physiologic and Pathologic Platelet Plug Formation. The grant spans from May 10, 2020 to April 1, 2025.
Mark Oyama, DVM, MSCE, received a $45,722 grant from Nestle Purina for Untargeted Plasma and Tissue Metabolomics in Cats with Cardiomyopathy. The grant spans from December 17, 2020 to December 31, 2021.
Thomas Parsons, VMD, PhD, received a $22,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for Using Tri-Axial Accelerometers (Fitbit-Like Devices) to Improve Sow Health and Welfare. The grant spans from January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020.
Meghann Pierdon, VMD, received a $174,979 grant from PennAg Industries Association for Poultry Welfare and Production Medicine Fellowship NBC. The grant spans from April 15, 2020 to January 31, 2021.
Dipti Pitta, PhD, received a $30,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for Understanding the Contribution of Quorum Sensing Signals in Dissemination of Antimicrobial Resistance on Pennsylvania Dairy Herds. The grant spans from January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020. She also received a $30,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for a Novel Approach to Improve Productivity and Reduce Methane Emissions Based on Bacteria-Archaea Networks in Rumen of Pennsylvania Dairy Cows. The grant spans from January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020. She also received a $417,851 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for Deciphering Role of Individual Methanogens and Their Inhibition on Hydrogen Metabolism in Rumen of Dairy Cows. The grant spans from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2023.
Michael Povelones, PhD, received a $300,358 NIH R21 grant for Functional Analysis of Insect-Specific Adhesion in a Model Kinetoplastid. The grant spans from June 1, 2020 to May 31, 2022.
Ellen Puré, PhD, received a $103,759 grant from the Penn-Incyte Adenosine Project Alliance for Impact of FAP-TGFβR2 Bispecific on Fibroblast Activation and Cytokine Release. The grant spans from July 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020.
Mary A. Robinson, VMD, PhD, DACVCP, received a $27,600 grant from Zoetis for Pharmacokinetics and Renal Clearance of Oclacitinib in Horses. The grant spans from October 13, 2020 to October 13, 2021.
Antonia Rotolo, PhD, MD, received a $50,000 grant from the American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy (ASCGT) for development of a novel, allogeneic iNKT/CAR-T cellular platform for adoptive cell therapy of solid tumors. This will be the first study investigating the safety and efficacy of allogeneic iNKT-based immunotherapies in the dog. The goal is to provide compelling data to accelerate translation of innovative, promising cell therapies into human clinics, while simultaneously improving canine health care. The grant spans from December 2020 through November 2021. Rotolo is affiliated with the Mason Lab. Her collaborators are Nicola Mason (mentor) and Daniel Powell (co-mentor, Penn Med). Rotolo received a second $50,000 ASCGT grant for Harnessing Invariant NKT Cells to Exploit “Intact” Allogeneic CAR-T Therapies: A Pilot Trial in Companion Dogs with Spontaneous Solid Cancer. The grant spans from November 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021.
Kotaro Sasaki, PhD, MD, received a $1,000,000 grant from Open Philanthropy/Good Ventures Foundation for Establishment of a Robust Platform for Reconstituting Human Prospermatogonial Development through in Vitro Culture and Transplantation. The grant spans from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2024. He also received a $109,443 grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for Development and Maturation of Male Germline Stem Cells. The grant spans from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2023.
Thomas Schaer, VMD, received a $176,474 grant from Thomas Jefferson University for Plasma-Based Therapies for Bone Infection: A Tripartite USA/ Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland Consortium. The grant spanned from February 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021.
Billy I. Smith, DVM, MS, DABVP (Food Animal Practice), received a $34,894 grant from the Frances Chaney Glover Field Service Research Fund for a comparison of rumen microbial populations in Holstein dairy animals fed either acidified colostrum or non-acidified colostrum at first feeding for the evaluation of formic acid treatment of colostrum on subsequent rumen microbial populations. The grant spans from July 2020 to July 2021. He is collaborating with New Bolton Center’s Center for Animal Health & Productivity (CAHP). His collaborators are Dipti Pitta, Michaela Kristula, Sarah Cady, and Meagan Hennessey.
Charles Vite, DVM, PhD, received a $131,357 per year grant for direct costs from the NIH Bench-toBedside Program for Translation of Efavirenz from Preclinical Models to Niemann-Pick, Type C1 Patients. The grant spans two years. Vite’s collaborators are Forbes D. Porter, MD, PhD, Senior Investigator and Clinical Director Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He also received a $1,749,559 NIH grant for AAV-Mediated Gene Therapy for CNS Disease Correction in Feline NPC1 Disease. The grant spans from December 15, 2020 to November 30, 2025.
Susan Volk, VMD, PhD, Dipl ACVS, received a $197,473 grant from the Canine Health Foundation for Tumor-Permissive Collagen Signatures in Canine Mammary Gland Tumors: Development of Prognostic Markers and Targeted Therapies for Improved Outcomes. The grant spans from March 1, 2021 to February 28, 2023. Her collaborators are Amy Durham (Co-I), and Karin Sorenmo (Co-I).
Katie Walzer, PhD, received a $202,062 NIH F32 grant for Elucidating the Roles of Transcriptional Regulators during the Cryptosporidium Life Cycle. The grant spans from August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2023. She is affiliated with the Striepen Lab.