Gordon L. Woods, DVM, PhDProfessor and Alexander Chair in Equine Reproduction Office: W113 ARBL Building, Foothills Campus Member Education Link to a PubMed listing of Dr. Woods's publications: |
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Teaching Interests
My teaching interests are to train veterinary scientists and professional veterinary students in equine reproductive biology.
Research Interests -- Assisted Reproductive Technology in
the Equine
My research interest is to increase reproductive performance in horses. Following our discovery that horses have lower intracellular and higher extracellular calcium than men, we increased calcium in equine cloning media which increased pregnancy rates seven fold [10.9% versus 1.5%; Science 301, 1063 (2003)]. We hypothesize that an unbalanced calcium 'regulator' causes low intracellular calcium in horses and that balancing this chemical will increase their pregnancy rates. We plan to 1a) correlate low 'regulator' with low intracellular calcium and low fertility in Thoroughbred horses and 1b) treat experimental horses with this chemical, expecting to increase intracellular calcium and a measure of their reproductive performance. Then, 2) treat selected low-'regulator', low-intracellular calcium, low-fertile Thoroughbred horses with this chemical, expecting to increase their intracellular calcium and reproductive performance.
Also, my research interest is to decrease the severity of age-onset diseases in humans. Aged men with higher Prostate Specific Antigen have higher intracellular calcium and correspondingly, a lower concentration of a known calcium channel blocker. We hypothesize that an unbalanced 'blocker' causes high intracellular calcium in humans with certain age-onset diseases and that balancing this chemical will decrease severity of these diseases. Using the horse as a model for human age-onset diseases, we plan to induce deficiency of this calcium channel blocker in horses, expecting to cause disease symptoms. Its restoration is expected to correct induced disease symptoms. In humans, we plan to correlate deficiency of this 'blocker' with severity of their age-onset diseases. Correction of this deficient chemical is expected to reduce disease symptoms.
Representative Publications
Vanderwall DK, Woods GL, Roser JF, Schlafer D.H., Sellon DC, Tester DF, White KL. 2006. Equine cloning: Applications and outcomes. Reprod Fertil Dev 18:91-98.
Vanderwall DK, Hyde KJ, Woods GL. 2006. Effect of repeated performance of transvaginal ultrasound-guided follicle aspiration on fertility in mares. J Am Vet Med Assoc 228:248-250.
Conforti VA, Vanderwall DK, Woods GL. 2005. Effect of homologous follicular fluid from medium-sized and large follicles on in vitro maturation of equine cumulus-oocyte complexes. Reprod Fertil Dev 17:651-658.
Vanderwall DK, Woods GL, Sellon DC, Tester DF, Schlafer DH,d White KL. 2004. Present status of equine cloning and clinical characterization of embryonic, fetal, and neonatal development of three cloned mules. J Am Vet Med Assoc 225:1694-1699.
Vanderwall DK, Woods GL, Aston KI, Bunch TD, Li G-P, Meerdo LN, White KL. 2004. Cloned horse pregnancies produced using adult cumulus cells. Reprod Fertil Dev 16:675-679.
White KL, Woods GL, Vanderwall DK, Li GP, Sessions BR, Bunch TD. Why clone horses and mules? IEEE Eng Med Biol Mag 23(2):32-36.
Woods GL, White KL, Vanderwall DK, Li G-P, Aston KI, Bunch TD, Meerdo LN, Pate BJ. 2003. A mule cloned from fetal cells by nuclear transfer. Science 301:1063.
Vanderwall DK, Woods GL. 2003. Effect on fertility of uterine lavage performed immediately prior to insemination in mares. J Am Vet Med Assoc 222:1108-1110.
Aguilar JJ, Woods GL, Miragaya MH, Olsen LM, Vanderwall DK. 2001. Effect of homologous preovulatory follicular fluid on in vitro maturation of equine cumulus-oocyte complexes. Theriogenology 56:745-758.
Gable TL, Woods GL. 2001. Confocal microscopy of germinal vesicle-stage equine oocytes. Theriogenology 55:1549-1560.
Gable TL, Woods GL. 2001. Increasing culture time from 48 to 96 or 144 hours increases the proportions of equine cumulus oocyte complexes with negative or fragmented nucleus morphology. Theriogenology 55:1417-1430.
