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New Grantees Announced
2006-2007 Grantees Announced
How Your Donations Can Help the Ones You Love Live Longer and Healthier Lives
Your generosity makes a difference! From studies investigating laminitis in horses to exploring new treatment options for osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in dogs, your donations help support our grant program and will ultimately lead to healthier and longer lives for all animals. If you'd like to directly support one of the following health studies, please contact us at 800-245-9081 (US and Canada) or 303-231-9933 or at foundation@acvim.org.
We would like to congratulate the following 2006/2007 Grantees. We wish you great success in your work and your commitment to animal health.
Grant #06-29D
Dr. Jill Beech: "Evaluation of Endogenous Alpha MSH Concentrations at Different Seasons and in Response to TRH in Normal Horses and Those with Pituitary Hyperplasia"
Equine Cushing's disease, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is a common endocrine disease of horses often associated with severe laminitis (also called founder; inflammation of the lamina, the innermost layer of the hoof wall. This is also the condition which lead to the racehorse Barbaro's death) and recurrent infections. This disease can only be diagnosed when a horse has developed these life-threatening conditions and then it may be too late to initiate successful treatment. More sensitive and specific diagnostic tests are needed to diagnose the disease in its early stages.
In PPID horses, levels of several pituitary hormones are increased. However, alpha-MSH is secreted at disproportionately higher levels compared to other pituitary hormones. Previous studies have found that alpha-MSH levels vary with season as well as disease.
Objective: The investigators are comparing the levels of alpha-MSH in normal and PPID horses at various season of the year. The information they gain will help them determine whether alpha-MSH will be useful in early diagnosis and monitoring of PPID.
Grant #06-01R
Dr. Mary Beth Callan: "Evaluation of canine platelet cryopreservation methods"
Platelets are needed for blood clot formation and to prevent spontaneous bleeding. In an animal that has low platelets or malfunctioning platelets, a transfusion of healthy platelets may be needed. Refrigeration causes irreversible damage to platelets. Therefore, it is difficult for many veterinarians to obtain fresh platelets unless they have ready access to a veterinary blood bank. It is not known if cryopreservation (the freezing of platelets in a special solution) will preserve function.
Objective: This study will evaluate two methods of cryopreservation. Platelet function and lifespan will be determined after thawing for both techniques. If the results are similar to fresh platelet transfusions, this would allow many more animals to receive treatment.
Grant #06-20D
Dr. Nicholas Frank: "Improved diagnosis and monitoring of equine endocrine disorders"
Horses can develop health problems when they experience hormonal changes, and there are two common hormone disorders that affect middle-aged and older horses. The first is called equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), and it is similar to diabetes in obese people. Horses with this disorder tend to be overweight and are prone to laminitis (also called founder; inflammation of the lamina, the innermost layer of the hoof wall). They have higher than normal levels of the hormone insulin in their blood, so the disorder can be diagnosed by testing a blood sample. The other disorder is called Equine Cushing's disease, or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) and it causes older horses to lose weight and develop a long haircoat. This disorder also makes the horse more prone to develop laminitis and it is diagnosed by detecting high levels of a hormone called adrenocorticotropin hormone in the blood.
It seems straightforward that high levels of these hormones indicate disease, but the situation is more complicated because other factors also raise hormone concentrations in healthy horses. This makes it difficult to decide when disease is present, which discourages veterinarians from using these measurements.
Objective: to measure hormone levels in blood collected from horses and ponies over a 12-month period from different geographical locations being fed different rations to determine the best way of collecting blood samples, the extent to which hormone levels vary within the same horse, and the effects of season and diet on blood hormone concentrations. Results will be used to better define the cut-off points for determining the presence of a hormonal disorder and to establish normal guidelines for diagnosis and treatment monitoring.
Grant #06-09R
Dr. Stephanie Kottler: "Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA carriage in three populations"
Study sponsored in partnership with 
Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that lives on people. Dogs and cats usually have other kinds of Staphylococcus bacteria on their skin. These bacteria generally do not cause an infection unless the person or animal is ill or there is a break in the skin. Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics resulting in serious infection, even death. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a resistant bacterium. It has been proven that health care workers (medical and veterinary) are more likely to carry MRSA than are other people. Data suggests that MRSA in pets may also be on the rise and there is concern that these animals could develop a severe infection or spread the bacterium to people.
Objective: This study has been designed to determine if cats and dogs that live with health care workers are more likely to carry MRSA than cats and dogs that live with non-health care workers and if the bacteria came from the same source.
Grant #06-11R
Dr. Cheryl A. London: "Investigating the Biologic Activity of Gemcitabine in Canine Osteosarcoma"
Study sponsored in partnership with Chase Away K9 Cancer Campaign and the Sacramento Valley Dog Fanciers Association
Osteosarcoma (OSA) is the most common bone tumor in dogs, reportedly occurring in over 8,000 dogs each year in the United States and representing up to 85% of all bone malignancies. OSA occurs most often in the long bones and is locally aggressive causing local destruction of bone, leading to non weight bearing lameness on the affected limb. Treatment involves amputation of the affected limb followed by chemotherapy. However, approximately 90% of dogs with OSA will die of cancer spreading to other organs primarily lungs. To improve the survival advantage, new therapeutic approaches need to be explored. Gemcitabine is a synthetic analog of cytosine arabinoside that has anti-tumor activity in a variety of human cancers. Recent laboratory data and mouse models suggest that it can inhibit the viability and growth of human OSA cells.
Objective: the purpose of this study is to evaluate the anti-tumor activity of Gemcitabine against canine OSA cell lines to assess whether this chemotherapeutic agent has potential clinical utility. Additionally, the ability of Gemcitabine to work synergistically with other agents such as small molecule inhibitors and bisphosphonates, both of which have some activity against OSA, will be tested. This study may lead to a new treatment option for OSA.
Grant #06-17D/M
Recipient of the Dr. Mary Rose Paradis Multi-Center Grant
Dr. Ramiro Toribio: "Endocrine dysregulation in foal sepsis: the role of arginine vasopressin in neonatal septicemia and foal survival"
Sepsis (blood poisoning) is a condition where bacteria can multiply in the blood and set up widespread infection throughout the body and is the most common cause of death in foals. The clinical signs and consequences of sepsis can include multiple organ failure and loss of the normal hormonal functions/mechanisms that regulate cardiovascular and metabolic function and this includes the hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP). Only preliminary has been done to investigate the actual role of AVP in sepsis.
Objective: The investigators are comparing the levels of AVP in normal and septic foals. The information they gain will help them assess the role of AVP in foals and may support the therapeutic use of AVP for the treatment of sepsis in foals and may possibly impact survival rates.
Grant #06-03R
Dr. Jeff W. Tyler: "Efficacy of serum transfusions in reducing mortality in dairy heifer calves"
Transfer of immunoglobulins (antibodies which play an essential role in the body's immune system. They attach to foreign substances, such as bacteria, and assist in destroying them) from the mother cow is important for calf health and survival. In healthy calves, immunoglobulins are passively obtained through ingestion of colostrum (a form of milk) in the first day of life and provide protection from infections. Failure of passive transfer of these antibodies is a factor in half of the neonatal deaths in dairy calves. Previous studies have found that treating calves with serum or plasma intravenously can replace immunoglobulins.
Objective: The investigators are examining the benefits of transfusing serum into newborn dairy calves for preventing mortality. The information they gain will help them understand how to use serum transfusions to treat failure of passive transfer and prevent disease. Ultimately the study results will be used to develop recommendations which may have broad application in the cattle industry.
