Furthering Animal Health Through Discovery and Research
Faculty in the Department of Clinical Sciences are engaged in research programs exploring the causes and treatments of important veterinary problems as well as conducting basic research into underlying processes.
We are dedicated to excellence in educating and training veterinarians and comparative biomedical scientists, furthering health care and wellness through discovery and clinical research, providing outstanding and compassionate medical care to a diverse range of animal patients, effectively engaging animal-owning public, government and industry partners, and providing leadership in integrating biomedical sciences to advance One Health.
Clinical Sciences Research in the News
Research Concentrations
Research in the Department of Clinical Sciences is concentrated in eight key areas. Why these areas are important in the field today.
This program is developing and testing methods of improving outcomes from spinal cord injuries in dogs. Research includes limiting the extent of damage that occurs immediately after an injury using neuroprotective drugs, and restoring function to damaged nerves using potassium channel blockers. Additionally, we are constantly improving our post operative care of patients with regards to nutrition, pain control, management of the bladder, and physical rehabilitation.
The goal of this program is to learn more about the cause of epileptic seizures in dogs and cats and study more effective treatments for seizures in our companion animals.
This program has three main areas of ongoing research: Ocular Inflammation and Immunology, Ocular Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Drug Delivery, and Ocular Imaging
The lab’s mission is to improve the ability to manage pain in non-human species by: Measurement of acute and chronic pain, the study of the neurobiological signature of pain in chronic disease, the evaluation of novel therapeutics for pain relief, and the collaborative work to build on translational models of chronic pain.
The long-term objective of this research laboratory is to study mechanisms responsible for maintenance and restoration of the intestinal barrier, with the ultimate objective of pharmacologically restoring the mucosal barrier in patients suffering from diseases associated with increased intestinal permeability.
The long-term goals of this program are to define mechanisms of intestinal defense and repair in infectious enteritis and identify rational approaches to nutritional and pharmacologic enhancement of epithelial repair. Toward this end, our laboratory is focused on the study of two enteric protozoal pathogens; Cryptosporidium parvum and Tritrichomonas foetusas well as the role of enteric bacteria in both inflammatory bowel disease and necrotizing enterocolitis.
The Leukocyte Biology Laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of phagocyte activation. Specifically, we are studying the role of cytoskeletal proteins such as the leukocyte specific actin bundling protein L-plastin (LPL), in regulating the signaling cascades which lead to the development of the effector phenotype in neutrophils and macrophages.
The focus of this research is to benefit animal health. It is our intention to provide quality answers to diagnostic questions. The assays, antigens and controls used are developed and validated as a component of our research.
