In The News

The Friedrich Laboratory, led by UW School of Veterinary Medicine professor Dr. Thomas Friedrich, began shifting its work from HIV and the Zika virus to sequencing the genes of coronavirus samples in March 2020 just as the pandemic emerged in the state. The idea was to track the spread of COVID-19 and later to watch for the arrival of viral variants in Wisconsin.

In new research, scientists have found for the first time that disruptions to a particular protein called Akt can lead to the brain changes characteristic of bipolar disorder. The study was conducted by the scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Infection from bacteria associated with cat-scratch disease could potentially play a role in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, according a pilot study conducted in part by a UW-Madison veterinary medicine professor.

The coronavirus originated in animals before making the jump to humans. It's a type of sickness called a zoonotic disease. Tony Goldberg, a professor of epidemiology at the UW-Madison veterinary school and an expert on zoonotic diseases spoke with Spectrum News about how the coronavirus came around, and why we should be prepared for another pandemic.

Even with three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the U.S. and others possibly available soon, two UW-Madison spinoff companies continue to pursue coronavirus vaccine candidates they say could find a niche.

A new study at the University Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine is combining canines, cancer and the military. “In this study, we’re trying to turn the immune system back on again specifically, against a patients cancer,” Prof. David Vail, Barbara A. Suran Chair in Comparative Oncology for the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine said.

“We don’t know if we have to do it for the long-term, like with influenza, but it’s smart for vaccine companies to be gearing up,” said Kristen Bernard, a professor of virology at University of Wisconsin-Madison’s school of veterinary medicine.

Smith had just become an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. Sam Morello, an associate professor of large animal surgery at the University of Wisconsin’s Veterinary School of Medicine, calls his death a huge loss for faculty, students and our entire community.

The board of directors of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation announced February 18 that it has authorized expenditure of $1,638,434, the most that the foundation has ever allocated in a year, to fund 12 new projects at 12 universities, 12 continuing projects, and two career development awards worth $20,000 each. The 2021 slate of research includes a project led by Peter Muir at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine to establish screening using fetlock CT for diagnosis of horses with a high risk of imminent serious injury for personalized clinical care.