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LEADING THE WAY IN VETERINARY INNOVATION
From left, first-year veterinary student Chloe Bening and animal science sophomore Suzanna Borchgardt work on their prototype for an infrared sensor to detect illnesses in cows.
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In October, the Texas A&M team made their first visit to establish VCPRs in Brenham, Texas.
CVMBS faculty and staff pose with Gaetan Michael, chief executive officer, after Volition agreement signing. • Gabriela Vega, a third-year veterinary student from El Paso, worked with
Harbor, a networking platform like LinkedIn that is exclusively for veterinarians and veterinary students. After the 10-week internship, Harbor asked Vega to join their team as the director of student ambassadors, giving her the opportunity to continue working with the company as she finishes veterinary school. “My project was to reach out to create a student ambassador program at every veterinary school in the country,” Vega said. “I got to see the behind-the-scenes parts of the company and then, at the same time, understand the value of all those behind-thescenes pieces. I’ve learned so much about the business side of veterinary medicine and understanding every piece of the whole clinic.” • Katie Zimmerman, a second-year veterinary student from Dallas, partnered with roo.vet, an online relief work platform for veterinarians. She helped them reach out to Texas A&M students and improve their familiarity with the concept of relief work (when veterinarians provide services to clinics on an as-needed basis). “I feel a lot more secure after the VEA, knowing that I don't have to have my path 100% solidified at any point,” Zimmerman said. “Getting through veterinary school is challenging, and I think when you expose yourself to so many different things in veterinary medicine, you can get closer to what you want to do. It was really cool to learn that I don't have to put myself in a box and that I can do other things and still be a veterinarian.”
2020 Veterinary Medicine Aggies Invent
The CVMBS partnered with the College of Engineering to host the 3rd edition of the Veterinary Medicine Aggies Invent in January. Current DVM students and pre-vet undergrads form teams with students from engineering and other disciplines across campus to develop solutions for common issues and roadblocks facing veterinary professionals in a 48-hour hackathon.
Clinical Trials
The CVMBS, in partnership with VolitionRx Limited, has led in the research and development of Volition’s Nu.Q™ Vet Cancer Screening Test, the first accurate, simple, and affordable ELISA cancer screening test in veterinary medicine. The VMTH’s GI Lab recently became one of the first sites in North America to launch the test, which offers a simpler, quicker, and less invasive diagnosis, with the goal of providing an increased quality of life to pets and valuable information to inform the clinical decision-making process.
The largest research data-gathering program of its kind, the Dog Aging Project has reached a number of milestones since its November 2019 launch, including more than 90,000 nominated dogs, more than 30,000 active Dog Pack members, the launch of a public data dashboard, and the start of a double-blind clinical trial of the immunosuppressant rapamycin. The 10-year, $23-million initiative is jointly operated by the CVMBS and University of Washington School of Medicine.
Dr. Heather Wilson-Robles has worked with MD Anderson Cancer Center on a number of cancer related studies, including positive results with T-cell transfusions to fight lymphomas. Ongoing collaborations also include Texas Children’s Hospital and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, as she continues to explore cancer treatments that could have implications in both human and veterinary medicine.
A team including Dr. Beth Boudreau, Dr. Brian Porter, and Dr. Jonathan Levine has been working with the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine and MD Anderson Cancer Center to explore the connections between canine and human gliomas. One related trial is looking at the efficacy of using a small molecule of a drug to stimulate the brain’s natural immune system against the glioma.
Over the past decade, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
has substantially increased the number of clinical trials being conducted and has established a trials core led by Dr. Heather Wilson-Robles, all with the hopes of improving the lives of animals and their humans.
Current trials include:
• The Cardiology Service is working to determine breed-specific cardiac biomarker blood levels that can be used to predict the severity of heart enlargement in asymptomatic Cavalier King Charles Spaniels with mitral valve disease. • Characterizing cardiac disease and developing screening recommendations for asymptomatic dogs seropositive for Trypanosoma cruzi, Dr. Ashley Saunders is performing diagnostic tests to identify changes in the heart of apparently healthy dogs that test positive for Chagas disease in order to better describe the disease process and create screening recommendations. • The Orthopedics Team is studying the effectiveness of a new, natural antiinflammatory supplemental remedy for osteoarthritis in dogs. • Dr. Emily Gould is studying the possible anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic properties of common acid suppressant medications that are used in dog mast cell tumor (MCT) disease in order to decrease the negative side effects of tumor degranulation. • Led by Dr. Kate Creevy, the Dog Aging Project is testing the effect of rapamycin on the cognition, heart function, healthspan, and lifespan of approximately 500 middle-aged dogs to determine whether the common immunosuppressant can slow the aging process. • The Texas A&M Gastrointestinal (GI) Laboratory is investigating the efficacy of the medications prednisolone and cyclosporine for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis in cats, a condition for which there is currently no cure. For more information about clincal trials at the Texas A&M VMTH, visit tx.ag/CVMBSClinicalTrials
20 Current Small Animal Clinical Trials
Cardiology 3
Internal Medicine 7
Neurology 3
*One trial exists in both Oncology and Internal Medicine areas. Dr. Ashley Saunders, Dr. Sonya Wesselowski, and team
Dr. Kate Creevy examines Patty
