The College of Veterinary Medicine
The College of Veterinary Medicine conducts research in biomedical sciences, involving the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of animal and human diseases. Emphasis is placed on animal health; the interactions between animals, humans, and the environment; and the use of animal models to study diseases impacting public health. Research programs include the following:
- Physiology and nutrition - effects of exercise and cold stress on physiological functions, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in the normal and pathologic states, and the importance of omega-3 fatty acids and micro-nutrients, including selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin D on animal and human health
- Reproduction - artificial insemination, embryo transfer, in vitro fertilization, placental vascular function, and hormone function
- Musculoskeletal physiology and diseases - muscle metabolism and pathology, cartilage degeneration, and osteochondrosis, as well as techniques for athletic rehabilitation
- Microbial pathogenesis - mycobacteria (M. tuberculosis, M. avium, M. paratuberculosis), cryptosporidium, microsporidia, chlamydial infections, latency of Herpes simplex, coronavirus, Acquired Immune Deficiency virus-1 infection, respiratory syncytial virus infection, Vibrio species, Bartonella species, clostridial infections, highly pathogenic avian influenza, West Nile virus, Blastocystis pathogenesis and treatment, schistosomoses
- Surgery - new techniques and materials
- Internal Medicine - new diagnostic and treatment modalities
- Cancer - biology of tumors and therapeutic modalities
- Neurosciences - memory and aging, , circadian cycles
- Bioengineering - development of technology designed to prevent bleeding following trauma and infections involving catheters and prosthetic devices
- Population medicine - identifying risk factors and dynamics of disease in populations, particularly food animals
- Cardiac diseases - study of heart hormones and their roles in cardiac disease
- Endophyte toxicology - contamination of forage by endophyte alkaloids and ruminant bioremediation
- Zoo, exotic, wildlife, and marine sciences
- Nosocomial infections, including MRSA and Clostridium difficile
The college research program is a multidisciplinary effort that brings together faculty in the basic and clinical sciences with expertise in molecular, cellular, and whole-animal experimental techniques. Projects range from mechanistic to applied and are funded by a variety of federal agencies, industry contracts, foundations, and technology transfer programs.
