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Getting a knee up on arthritis
In coming years, if you have knee surgery and don't develop arthritis, you can thank a veterinarian and his canine patients. Dr. James Cook, a veterinarian at the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine, has helped pioneer a new device that may save people with knee injuries from experiencing painful and debilitating arthritis. As a professor of veterinary medicine and surgery, Dr. Cook helped develop the BioDuct Meniscal Fixation Device, which should allow patients with cartilage injuries to avoid arthritis and have better knee function. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the device for human use. Cook and his research team performed surgery on 25 dogs with meniscal tears using the new device. Each dog had complete or partial meniscus healing a few weeks after surgery. For more information, contact Tracey Berry at 573-884-2215 or berryt@missouri.edu.
Finding the cancer key
Many have questioned the money and the effort invested in genome sequencing. To what use could that knowledge be put? Maybe finding a cure for cancer? After helping sequence the canine genome, Dr. Matthew Breen is now digging a bit deeper in an effort to unlock the cause of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in humans, one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Dr. Breen, a professor of genomics at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, is on a mission to find cancer-associated genes in dogs. Armed with that information, Breen hopes to translate his work to humans. If Breen and his colleagues can find the affected genes in dogs, they then can start looking for the same genes in people. The National Institutes of Health recently awarded Breen a $1 million grant for his research. For more information, contact David Green at 919-513-6662 or david_green@ncsu.edu.
Dealing a blow against dioxin
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine have determined how the cancer-causing chemical dioxin attacks cells, disrupts their function and promotes tumor growth. Led by Narayah Avadhani, the researchers were able to piece together the process by which TCDD, the most toxic member of the dioxin family and best remembered as the toxic contaminant found in Agent Orange and at Times Beach, Mo., damages cells. The findings, Avadhani says, will help scientists understand why humans who are exposed to dioxin develop breast and other cancers. For more information, contact Gail Luciani at 215-898-1475 or Luciani@vet.upenn.edu.
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Beams of hope in cancer treatment
Veterinarians at Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences are now among the world's elite, thanks to the recent addition of new technology at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The teaching hospital is the first veterinary facility in the world to have at its disposal an advanced linear accelerator used to deliver radiation therapy while reducing adverse side effects, says Dr. Susan LaRue, a professor in cancer biology and oncology. The high-tech system delivers radiation at higher doses with unparalleled accuracy, Dr. LaRue says, allowing Colorado State to lead the way in improving radiation therapy for both animals and people. For more information, contact Dell Rae Moellenberg at 970-491-6009 or DellRae.Moellenberg@colostate.edu.
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A sampling of interesting upcoming events and pet-related campaigns ...
North American Veterinary Conference, Jan. 19, 2008 – Jan. 23, 2008: The NAVC Conference, held each January in Orlando, Fla., continues to be one of the largest gatherings of veterinarians in the nation. For more information, go to the NAVC Web site.
National Pet Dental Health Month, Feb. 1, 2008 – Feb. 29, 2008: February is National Pet Dental Health Month, a time for pet owners to focus on the importance of regular dental care and how good dental care contributes to overall good health. For more information, go to the Pet Dental Web site.
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