Research

Translational Research Models

The Western College of Veterinary Medicine is a key component of the University of Saskatchewan's life sciences research and training cluster of colleges. The concept of "One world, one health, one medicine" is reflected in the College's integrated plan, and it's an approach that the veterinary college is building on to create more connections between animal health, human health and ecosystem health.

Throughout its history, WCVM researchers have been highly effective in using models of anatomy, physiology, disease or drug therapies, research teams to make valuable advances in animal and human health. For example, WCVM faculty members have developed translational research models in areas such as reproduction where bovine models have helped scientists learn more about ovarian function and follicular dynamics in both animals and humans.  Researchers are also learning more about the manipulation of spermatogenesis for human therapies through the use of animal models.

In the area of neurophysiology, rat models are helping research teams learn more about the effects of central nervous system disease or injury on the sensorimotor behaviour of humans as well as animals. Testing the effectiveness of antithrombotic drugs, such as heparin, in dogs is helping scientists learn more about their pharmocodynamics and use in humans. In the area of infectious diseases, an intensive investigation of West Nile virus in horses helped to shed light on the disease's epidemiology in Western Canada.

In the area of environmental toxicology, swine, fish and canine models are helping researchers learn more about the effect of environmental toxicants on the cardiovascular system. Translational research models are also highly effective in the areas of ophthalmology and oncology where human and veterinary scientists can equally gain fresh perspectives on the pathogenesis of disease as well as treatment, early detection and prevention.

• Adams, Gregg
  Basic and applied aspects of reproductive science and medicine. Dr. Adams' current projects include the characterization of reproductive events in wapiti and white-tailed deer, ovulation-inducing factors in llamas and alpacas, factors influencing oocyte competence in cattle, and synchrotron-based biomedical imaging of reproductive tissues.
• Chaban, Bonnie
  Detection and characterization of Campylobacter in companion animals.
• Forsyth, George
  The activity of ion transport proteins involved in the pathology of diarrheal diseases and cystic fibrosis.
• Gerdts, Volker
  Development of neonatal vaccines; innate immunity at the respiratory surfaces (antimicrobial peptides); basic mechanisms of intestinal immunity; lymphocyte trafficking; mucosal immunology; chemokines; enteric infections; and knowledge transfer of basic research into applied clinical research and producers.
• Gordon, John
  Immunology and immunopathology, particularly examining allergic disease and inflammation.
• Hiebert, Linda
  Cardiovascular research, including the pharmacodynamics of orally administered heparins and related polyanions, and damage and protection of endothelial cells.
• Hill, Janet
  Microbial ecology, livestock and human disease, phylogenetics and taxonomy, molecular diagnostics and development of cpnDB, a chaperonin sequence database.
• Honaramooz, Ali
  Reproductive biology and technology, with emphasis on the study and manipulation of spermatogenesis and spermatogonial stem cells.
• Liu, Qiang
  Elucidating molecular mechanisms of viral pathogenesis. Special research areas are human hepatitis viruses (such as hepatitis C virus) and porcine circoviruses.
• Loewen, Matthew
  Investigations of the mechanism and effects of calcium activated chloride channels as they modulate human and animal diseases.
• Mayer, Monique
  Veterinary radiation oncology.
• Muir, Gillian
  The changes in sensorimotor behaviour that occur during normal development or after central nervous system injury or disease.
• Potter, Andrew
  Application of genomics to the animal health field. Dr. Potter's work also focuses on forging links between the animal and human infectious disease research communities to ensure that technologies common to both fields can be leveraged to their greatest benefit.
• Rawlings, Norman
  Basic and applied aspects of the regulation of ovarian folliculogenesis in sheep, and reproductive maturation in beef cattle.
• Singh, Baljit
  Cell and molecular biology of lung inflammation. Dr. Singh's projects focus on mechanisms of neutrophil and monocyte migration into inflamed lungs, biology of pulmonary intravascular macrophages and environmental pulmonary toxicology.
• Singh, Jaswant
  The use and further development of the bovine model for the study of ovarian function in humans. Dr. Singh's current and past research has been directed towards studying the ultrasonographic, morphologic and biochemical kinetics of ovarian follicles to refine the bovine model.
• Townsend, Hugh
  Infectious disease epidemiology, vaccine formulation, delivery and efficacy; and the immune response to infection. Dr. Townsend's recent research focuses on the investigation of a foal's immune response and its susceptibility to Rhodococcus equi pneumonia.
• Zhou, Yan
  Molecular biology, pathogenesis and vaccine development of influenza virus.