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Post-DVM Training Program on Animal Model
Research for Veterinarians

The Training Program Faculty Mentors and Their Research Participating University Administrators Stipends & Benefits

Eligibility To Apply Blacksburg, VA

The Training Program:

Veterinarians are uniquely qualified to conduct biomedical research in the field of comparative medicine using animal models, which have been instrumental in understanding the pathogenesis and mechanism of human diseases. Unfortunately, the majority of veterinarians do not pursue research careers, in part due to the lack of research training opportunities. Consequently, there is a critical shortage of veterinarians with research backgrounds in academic institutions, government and corporate settings across the nation.

The National Institutes of Health has funded a post-DVM "Animal Model Research for Veterinarians (AMRV)" training program at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM). This program will train veterinarians in the skills of a researcher, and help them launch a successful research career in the areas of animal models of infectious diseases, immunology, molecular biology, physiology, toxicology, and nutrition. Mentors participating in this training program are conducting cutting-edge research in the areas of animal models for human diseases, and their research projects are well funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Trainees will be required to enter a M.S. or Ph.D. graduate program that will expose them to state-of-the-art research skills and challenge them to become independent problem-solvers. At the end of the training program, trainees are expected to launch an independent biomedical research career, and assume leadership roles related to the nation's biomedical research agenda in academia, government, and industry.

Faculty Mentors and Their Research:

S. Ansar Ahmed, B.V.Sc (D.V.M.), Ph.D., Professor of Immunology, Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, VMRCVM. Dr. Ahmed uses murine models (wild-type, gene knock-outs, and transgenic mice) to study the cellular and molecular interactions of estrogenic compounds on the immune system of normal and autoimmune mice. Currently Dr. Ahmed's laboratory is dissecting the hormonal regulation of a crucial immune protein, interferon-gamma (IFN-g), and understanding the molecular and cellular mechanism of IFN-g regulation and identifying key IFN-g-receptor-mediated cell signaling pathways.

Stephen M. Boyle, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology, Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, VMRCVM. Dr. Boyle uses mice and cattle as model systems to understand the pathogenesis of Brucella spp, including brucellosis in humans. Currently, Dr. Boyle is pursuing 3 areas of research: (a) using microarrays (custom glass and Affymetrix) to measure the expression of Brucella spp. genes or host genes during the course of infections in primary macrophages and macrophage cell lines of mice; (b) enhancing the expression of the anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) and plaque (Yersinia pestis) protective antigens in vaccine strain B. abortus RB51 with the intent on improving protection from 50% to 100% of the animals immunized with a single dose of strain RB51 using a mouse model; and (c) defining the Brucella proteins responsible for the induction of reactive arthritis using a rat model.

Willard Eyestone, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, VMRCVM. Dr. Eyestone studies the induction of disease resistance using genetic modification techniques and animal models. Dr. Eyestone studies prion diseases, or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), and uses cattle prion disease as a model for human prion diseases. Dr. Eyestone is attempting to generate prion-knock-down cattle by RNA interference for use as a model to understand human prion disease process.

Robert Grange, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Human Nutrition, Foods & Exercise, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. Dr. Grange's research interests include the identification of the pathogenic mechanisms that lead to onset of Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) using two dystrophic mouse models. He is seeking to develop appropriate therapeutic strategies to blunt or prevent DMD, the most common and most severe of the muscular dystrophies.

William R. Huckle, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, VMRCVM. Dr. Huckle's research focuses on regulation of vascular development (vasculogenesis), growth (angiogenesis), and repair. Dr. Huckle is particularly interested in understanding the control of angiogenic growth factor receptor expression in both physiological and pathological settings. Dr. Huckle is utilizing mouse models of solid tumor growth and metastasis to study pathologic angiogenesis.

Matthew W. Hulver, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise. Dr. Hulver's research includes dysregulated skeletal muscle fatty acid metabolism as it pertains to the etiology of chronic diseases/disorders such as obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes; understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for intramuscular lipid accumulation with obesity; and the effects of overnutrition, calorie restriction and exercise on skeletal muscle susbstrate metabolism.

Thomas J. Inzana, Ph.D., ABMM, Tyler J. and Frances F. Young Chair of Bacteriology, Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, VMRCVM. Dr. Inzana is studying bacterial infectious diseases including a bovine model for studying Haemophilus and Neisseria infections of humans, and a dwarf rabbit model for tularemia. These animal models are being used to evaluate pathogenesis, vaccine efficacy, and diagnostic tests as models that are highly applicable to human infectious diseases.

Liwu Li, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Immunology, College of Sciences. Dr. Li's group is studying the molecular and cellular signaling network controlling innate immunity and inflammation. Murine models and cultured mammalian cells are being used to examine the roles of innate immunity signaling in immune cell proliferation, activation, as well as expression of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cellular mediators. Alteration in innate immunity leads to severe human diseases such as cancer and atherosclerosis. We are exploring biochemical and genetic strategies to modulate innate immunity signaling process and assess the potential effects of these strategies in the pathogenesis of cancer and atherosclerosis.

X.J. Meng, M.D., Ph.D., T32 Training Program Director, Professor of Molecular Virology, Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, VMRCVM. Dr. Meng's research interests focus on emerging and re-emerging viral diseases of human and veterinary public health importance, animal models for human viral diseases, and development of vaccines against viruses of public health and economic importance. Viruses being studied in his lab include hepatitis E virus (human, swine, and avian hepatitis E viruses), and porcine circovirus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.

Daniel Perez, Ph.D., Associate Professor, VMRCVM Maryland campus. Dr. Perez uses animal models to study the molecular mechanisms that lead to interspecies transmission of avian influenza viruses from their natural reservoir (aquatic birds) to humans. Ongoing studies include the characterization of the role of quail in the emergence of novel influenza strains that have the ability to infect mammals, including humans, and the implementation of a research network aimed at preventing and controlling avian influenza in the United States.

Christopher Reilly, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Discipline Chair for Physiology at Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, VMRCVM. Dr. Reilly's research focuses on understanding the mechanisms responsible for glomerulonephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using MRL/lpJfasPlprP (MRL/lpr) mice as a model which develop immune complex glomerulonephritis similar to humans. The goal of Dr. Reilly's research is to inhibit the inflammatory processes associated with lupus nephritis thus reducing and possibly alleviating disease progression.

P. Chris Roberts, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, VMRCVM. Dr. Roberts' research includes viral vaccine development, host pathogen interactions and viral:bacterial synergy in disease exacerbation, and immunotherapy and virotherapy targeting ovarian cancer.

Beverly A. Rzigalinski, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology at Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Adjunct Professor, Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, VMRCVM. Dr. Rzigalinski's research includes cross-disciplinary research on the biological applications of cerium oxide nanoparticles, using tissue culture and animal models of human diseases, and also has ongoing study for traumatic brain injury using rats as a model. Studies are currently expanding to include animal models of atherosclerosis and inflammatory joint disorders.

Eva M. Schmelz, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise. Dr. Schmelz's research includes the dietary use of sphingolipidds to prevent and treat ovarian cancer, breast cancer and metastasis, colon cancer, and tumor formation. Sphingolipid metabolites are involved in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation, and cell death, and also affect adhesion and motility.

Edward J. Smith, Ph.D., Professor, Animal & Poultry Sciences, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. Dr. Smith's laboratory focuses on comparative and functional genomic research. He is using birds as a model system to study if genomic variations, identified as either SNPs or microsatellites, are associated with biologically important phenotypes including humoral immune response, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and longevity related to human diseases.

Nammalwar Sriranganathan, D.V.M., Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology, Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, VMRCVM. Dr. Sriranganathan's lab has developed an intranasal plague challenge model in BALB/c mice using Yersinia pestis, and is using this murine model to test the efficacy of various bacterial and viral vaccines containing F1 and V antigens of Y. pestis with flagellin as an adjuvant for use in humans. Dr. Sriranganathan is also developing gerbil and mouse models for Neospora caninum infection, and developing a recombinant B. abortus RB51-based multi-agent vaccines against Anthrax, Tuberculosis, Paratuberculosis, Plague, and Rift Valley Fever.

University Administrators Participating in the Program:

	Roger Avery, Ph.D., Senior Associate Dean of Research & Graduate Studies and Professor of Virology, Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, VMRCVM.

Stipend and Benefits:

• Annual stipend at approximately $41,000 with minimal 2 years experience
• Tuition waiver
• Meeting travel allowance

Eligibility:

The T32 training program is available to U.S. citizens or permanent residents with an earned D.V.M. or V.M.D. degree.

To Apply:

All T32 AMRV post-DVM trainees are required to enter a graduate program (M.S. or Ph.D.). Prospective trainees should complete an application for graduate admission to the Biomedical and Veterinary Science (BMVS) graduate program through the Graduate School online application system (http://www.grads.vt.edu/admissions/applying/index.html). Please explicitly indicate that you are applying for the "NIH T32 Post-DVM Training Program" on your application. Contact the Program Director Dr. X.J. Meng if you have any questions regarding the application process or the T32 training program.

Blacksburg, VA:

Nestled on a plateau between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, Blacksburg is part of Montgomery County in the heart of Southwest Virginia's New River Valley. Because of its award-winning services, reasonable cost of living, safety, moderate climate, and abundant leisure activities, Blacksburg is consistently ranked among the country's best places to live and has a nationwide reputation as a well-managed, stable, and forward-looking community. For further information about Blacksburg, please visit the website http://www.vt.edu/where_we_are/blacksburg/.

 

VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine Virginia Tech, Duck Pond Drive (0442) Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 (540) 231-7666

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