Focused Ultrasound Foundation launches veterinary programNovember 16, 2017 The Focused Ultrasound Foundation in Charlottesville, Va., has launched a veterinary program to study focused ultrasound therapies for the treatment of animals. The initiative enables veterinary researchers to test state-of-the-art therapies in their patients, while collecting data necessary to accelerate the adoption of the technology for human applications, according to the foundation. "Veterinary medicine can lag behind human medicine, leaving veterinarians frustrated with the lack of options for their patients," said Kelsie Timbie, Ph.D., program director. "Our goal with this program is to create a win-win scenario for all involved. Veterinarians will have new, innovative therapies to offer clients, and insights gained in dogs and cats will help inform clinical trial design in humans." The goal of the research program is to offer a variety of benefits over traditional therapies in animals, including faster recovery times, a reduced risk of infection, and no aggravating stitches to chew. Focused ultrasound is an effective way to treat inaccessible areas, as well as incompletely treated or recurrent tumors, according to the foundation. The first study in this program will take place in early 2018 at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM) at Virginia Tech …
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MAF explores study diversity, applications to animal healthSeptember 18, 2017According to a new research paper from the Morris Animal Foundation (MAF), determining what type of research study to do, and when, are key decisions scientists must make when embarking on a new project. In an editorial published Sept. 11, 2017, in the International Animal Health Journal, "Epidemiology and its Application to Animal Health," Missy Simpson, DVM, intramural research scientist and epidemiologist with MAF, provides guidance on study types for veterinary researchers and animal health scientists. The editorial is an overview of study types, and highlights MAF's Golden Retriever Lifetime Study as an example of a cohort study, and also discusses advances in store for observational studies. "Health research is diverse and varied and covers a spectrum from basic research—which describes the early discovery and development phase—to applied research," said Dr. Simpson. "Each phase of research is essential to move scientific discovery forward and advance health." In the paper, Simpson discusses interventional research consisting of clinical trials, and observational research, including descriptive studies, case-series studies, case-control studies, and ecologic, retrospective, and longitudinal studies. "An advantage of performing clinical trials in animals is that health outcomes tend to be achieved on …
University of Saskatchewan achieves reproductive firsts for wood bisonJuly 27, 2016University of Saskatchewan veterinary researchers say they have achieved reproductive firsts for the wood bison (Bison bison athabascae), a species in which only up to 7,000 remain in the wild.
