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College of Veterinary Medicine Advance Newsletter

5 Questions with School of Molecular Biosciences alumna Jennifer Adair

Dr. Adair is looking through a microscope
Jennifer Adair ('05 PhD, School of Molecular Biosciences) had never heard of Pullman when she considered WSU’s National Institute of Health Protein Biotechnology Training Program. She even shamefully admits, at first, she confused WSU with the University of Washington. Now, the Coug is developing gene therapies to treat genetic disorders, HIV and cancer. Adair is a faculty member in the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Her goal: provide safe, cost-effective applications for gene therapy that can be implemented worldwide. » More ...

Where Science Takes You

Kaitlin in a laboratory
When Washington State University doctoral student Kaitlin Witherell was a child, she frequently went to work with her scientist mother. Through her young eyes and vivid imagination, she watched her mother complete complex calculations that filled entire pages, make exotic and colorful solutions, and use alien-like equipment that seemed more magical than practical. » More ...

Understanding Immunity to Improve Health

Dr. Goodman and Marena Guzman in Dr. Goodman's laboratory
Just a few short hours after illness-causing bacteria enter the human body, a sophisticated defense system goes to work. The immune system quickly recognizes the foreign invaders and sends a well-orchestrated, frontline defense. “Innate immunity is ancient,” says Alan Goodman, assistant professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences and affiliate faculty in the Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health. “Our bodies have many ways of fighting infectious disease, but innate immunity is something that must be important for it to have persisted.” » More ...

Cancer Care Gives New Hope

Portrait of team in the WSU veterinary teaching hospital lobby
In the spring of 2019, Karen Kernaghan noticed that her dog’s nose was bleeding. “That was the start of it,” says Karen. She took “Kiki Blu,” a 6-year-old border collie mix, to her local veterinarian Dr. Jefferson Manens of Vancouver, British Columbia. He put Kiki under anesthesia and took a biopsy of tissue in her nose. The results came back benign. Dr. Manens still suspected something was wrong, so he phoned WSU veterinary oncologist Dr. Janean Fidel. Based on his description, Dr. Fidel agreed. He took another biopsy, this time with a special needle. Kiki had cancer. » More ...

WSU’s One Health approach is a two‑for‑one stop for health care in Tanzania

A Maasai woman walking with four children and a dog.
Promoting healthcare strategies that target both human and animal populations at the same time can save money, participant time and result in a two-for-one stop for health care services. That’s according to a new study by scientists at Washington State University’s Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health. » More ...

WSU pilot study to address antibiotic resistance in children

In the lab looking at a sample.
Nearly 1,000 stool samples from halfway around the world may show how to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance in developing countries. Researchers at Washington State University’s Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health will analyze the samples from Bangladesh for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistant genes. » More ...

Where have all the frogs gone?

3D Illustration Esther Ng
It happened again that morning. During their rounds, zookeepers found another tank of dead blue poison dart frogs. The tiny azure amphibians, native to South American rainforests, had been enjoying a successful breeding program at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Now, inexplicably, they were dying from a mysterious skin disease and the cause remained elusive. » More ...