Veterinary Translational Research: Benchtop, Preclinical, and Clinical Techniques

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editors

Drew W. Koch

Colorado State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Translational Medicine Institute, Preclinical Surgical Research Laboratory

Dr. Koch completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree in 2016 and extensive animal veterinary surgery residency (Diplomate ACVS) in 2020, both from Colorado State University. He then completed a PhD 2023 in Comparative Biomedical Sciences from North Carolina State University within the NIH T32-funded Comparative Medicine and Translational Research Training Program. His PhD research focused on cytokine priming of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the context of tendon injury. Drew is a research scientist within the Preclinical Surgical Research Laboratory at Colorado State University’s Translational Medicine Institute. He provides in vivo preclinical research expertise to university, private, and corporate partners, helping prepare medical devices for regulatory submission to the FDA. Additionally, he is utilizing his broad training to develop a research program studying stromal cell senescence in aging and injured musculoskeletal tissues with a current focus on tendinopathy.

Caroline McKinney-Aguirre

North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Intestinal Regenerative Medicine Laboratory

Dr. McKinney-Aguirre graduated from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree and Master of Public Health (MPH) in 2016. Following a private practice internship at Tennessee Equine Hospital, she returned to the Cummings School to complete her Large Animal Internal Medicine Residency (2020; Diplomate ACVIM). She then began her PhD training in the Comparative Biomedical Sciences program at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) College of Veterinary Medicine as a postdoctoral fellow in the NIH T32 Comparative Medicine and Translational Research Training Program. Her PhD research evaluates novel therapeutics to maximize intestinal epithelial repair in porcine and equine models. In addition to research, Dr. McKinney-Aguirre serves as an internal medicine clinician within the NCSU Equine Medicine Service.

Collection Overview

Veterinarians are increasingly at the forefront of basic, clinical, and translational science. These veterinarian clinician-scientists are contributing to and advancing the study of musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, and oncologic research, among others. They are driving progress in elucidating disease etiopathogenesis and discovering novel therapeutics. These researchers have successfully implemented innovative molecular methods to investigate disease, developed techniques that improve veterinary patient care, and utilized data obtained from veterinary patients and preclinical models as a comparative avenue for studying human disease. This Methods Collection aims to highlight benchtop, preclinical, and clinical techniques veterinarians utilize that successfully drive interdisciplinary clinical and translational research.