The research emphasis of Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM) includes 5 core themes that center around one-health/comparative medicine.
Infectious Diseases
VMCVM continues to be a leader in researching infectious diseases that impact animal health. Some notable examples include pathogenesis studies and vaccine development for swine viruses. The first US Department of Agriculture fully licensed commercial vaccine against porcine circovirus type 2, a deadly swine virus causing immense economic losses globally, was developed in our college. A novel tick-borne parasite (Theileria orientalis Ikeda genotype) that infects cattle was first identified in the United States by our faculty.
Unique Infectious Diseases Facilities
Gnotobiotic pig facility at VMCVM/Virginia Tech
VMCVM, Virginia Tech has one of the few gnotobiotic (Gn) pig facilities in the world. The Gn pig model system is a unique resource giving our college a distinct advantage in applying for research funding, which has thus far amounted to over $12,938,273 extramural from NIH and industry since its inception. Several projects that utilize this facility include microbiome research, enteric and hepatic viruses pathogenesis and vaccine development, and pancreatic cancer.
Biosafety level 3 (BSL3)/animal biosafety level 3 (ABSL3) for rodents
Our college has the only BSL3 and ABSL3 lab in the university to conduct infectious diseases research on emerging pathogens that have no FDA-approved vaccines or effective therapeutic agents, such as Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV), Rift Valley Fever, and Usutu virus, among others. Our college was the first to develop a fully licensed RB51 vaccine for Brucella abortus.
One Health
The VMCVM faculty led in establishing a comprehensive cross-disciplinary one-health-focused research center, the Center for Emerging, Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens at Virginia Tech, with participation from more than 110 faculty members in 7 different colleges within the university. Significant effort is being dedicated to better understand the host/virus factors that facilitate cross-species infection, such as swine hepatitis E that has infected humans.
Antimicrobials and Repurposing of Drugs
Our faculty are seeking practical solutions to the global threat of antimicrobial resistance by developing quicker diagnostic methods to identify, prevent, and treat infections caused by drug-resistant pathogens. Studies are underway to repurpose FDA-approved drugs to potentially treat antibiotic-resistant infections in animals and humans. The clinical trials in pet dogs with chronic skin and eye infections will likely help other animals with similar infections and humans.
Collaborative Multidisciplinary Research Laboratory for Veterinary Clinical Researchers
Solving complex animal health problems requires collaboration among various veterinary clinical specialists/researchers. We have recently invested over $1 million to repurpose research space, creating 3,000 square feet of shared lab space to bring together clinical specialists from across 4 academic departments to tackle current and emerging challenges in veterinary research and to train graduate students and residents in team science using modern technologies.
Innovative Approaches for Cancer Treatment
Our team of translational oncologists utilizes cutting-edge approaches for treating difficult cancers, such as glioblastoma and osteosarcoma in dogs. These include convection-enhanced delivery, placing catheters directly into the glioblastoma tissue in dogs to deliver drugs that simultaneously kill cancer cells and activate the immune system to kill tumors. Histotripsy, a nonthermal/nonradioactive technique, employs ultrasound to create bubbles that target tumors such as canine osteosarcoma. This technique breaks down tumor cells to release proteins that activate anticancer immunity. Our faculty members are conducting a clinical study in dogs with lymphoma and solid tumors using a novel monoclonal antibody to target the immune system.
