Dr. Gregg Dean named director of CCMTR
Following a national search, Gregg Dean, professor of immunopathology in the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, has been named the first director of the recently established Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research (CCMTR).
The CCMTR’s mission is to enhance collaborative, translational, interdisciplinary approaches for the comparative study of animal and human diseases. According to Dr. Dean, many of the diseases and medical conditions that affect animals also affect humans. The CCMTR is based on this One Medicine concept and the strong research link between human and veterinary medicine that encourages the sharing of new discoveries and knowledge in order to improve health care for all species.
As director, Dr. Dean will manage a center involving more than 80 tenure-track faculty participants representing 14 departments from four colleges at NC State University. Approximately 60% of the participants are from the CVM.
“CCMTR faculty members are talented and successful individuals, and the Center will bring these scientists together into unique collaborative groups,” says the new director. “Promoting the interaction between clinical and basic researchers is particularly important so that our research efforts more efficiently bring solutions from the laboratory bench to the patient. In some cases, researchers have solutions looking for a clinical application. In other cases, clinicians have patients with problems but the clinicians may not have the time, resources, or expertise to investigate a solution.”
Dr. Dean says that while basic and clinical scientists work in very different environments and have different challenges and concerns, the Center creates a common environment where the collaborations can be initiated. The Center will also help accelerate the research by providing pilot study funding, support for graduate students, and access to expensive specialized equipment and services
“Because the Center offers a common point of entry to a large group of biomedical researchers,” says Dr. Dean, “the CCMTR has already attracted the attention of potential corporate partners as well as academic partners beyond NC State. This will be a win-win-win situation for the members of the Center, our external partners, and patients—both animal and human—that will benefit from the discoveries made.”
An expert on feline and human lentiviruses, Dr. Dean’s research involves the development of novel vaccine strategies for the prevention of human and feline immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV/FIV).