Insight: Research Edition

Fall 2006

Message from the Dean

Dear Friends,

In the popular press, breakthroughs in medical science, the latest in cancer treatments and new, frightening diseases are processed through a sensationalist lens that often diminishes true concerns, oversells incremental advances, and scares a public all too vulnerable to the latest health threat (does anyone remember monkey pox?). Against this backdrop, scientists around the world and here at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences are busy doing the intricate work of science that rarely makes it into mainstream media, but is essential to the advancement of human and animal health.

In this edition of Insight, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about research programs at the College that are tackling some of our society’s greatest concerns including infectious diseases, debilitating injuries, cancer and radiation biology, worker health and safety, food safety, and bioterrorism. It is work that is slow and laborious, frustrating and rewarding, detailed and painstaking, with hard-won answers usually leading to more questions. Success is measured in small increments, as the sum of research programs from around the world lead to the “breakthroughs” gained, usually after countless years of supportive research.

I’m proud to report to you that the College has a number of internationally recognized research programs that are making a difference in the lives of people and animals today. Improvements in the treatment of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in dogs have led to better treatment for human patients. Equine orthopaedic research is not only leading to healthier horses, but to advances in human orthopaedic care. Infectious disease research has exploded at Colorado State University, with realistic goals of developing and/or testing vaccines and treatments for globally important devastating illnesses including dengue fever, tularemia and tuberculosis. Our Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is an internationally renowned center of testing and test development for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, including chronic wasting disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), as well as a growing program in avian influenza testing and surveillance.

In our last fiscal year, the College’s extramural research budget was close to $50 million. That not only means our scientists are able to conduct cutting-edge research, but our graduate and undergraduate students are benefiting from their experiences in some of the world’s most advanced laboratories. Training new and inquisitive scientists who will be able to address current and future concerns is an important part of our mission.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Insight and come away with a favorable impression of the work underway at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Who knows, maybe one day, your life or the life of someone you love may be profoundly impacted by discoveries that originated at Colorado State University.

Best Regards,

Lance Perryman, DVM, PhD
Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences