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Common ground
By: Susan Steeves
Common ground
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| Animal scientist Rebecca
Krisher is one of several researchers involved in the
Program of Comparative Medicine between Purdue and IU
to learn new ways to treat human disease by studying
how animals cope with similar diseases. |
Long
heralded as "man's best friend," we may soon have yet another
reason to dote on our canine companions. They, along with
other species such as pigs, zebra fish and endangered wildlife,
may hold the key to longer and healthier lives for both humans
and animals.
Researchers
at Purdue University's schools of Agriculture
and Veterinary Medicine
and the Indiana University School of Medicine are combining
expertise and resources for a collaboration that may lead
to prevention, treatment and cures for such maladies as diabetes,
cardiovascular diseases, muscular dystrophy, infectious diseases
and cancer, among others.
"Much
of the research that we do at Purdue, both in the Department
of Animal Sciences and the veterinary school, impacts
animal health and productivity and also human health," says
Randy Woodson, Purdue Agriculture associate dean and director
of agricultural research. "We have faculty whose work relates
directly to bone health, obesity, nutrition, allergens, muscle
development, diabetes, and prostate and other cancers."
Woodson
and Mervin Yoder, IU professor of pediatrics, were instrumental
in obtaining a $2 million grant from Indiana's 21st Century
Research and Development Fund as seed money for the Program
of Comparative Medicine. The cooperative venture brings together
top researchers from both universities in an effort to broaden
their investigations and take them more quickly to treatments
and cures for both animals and people.
"We
believe that we can learn new ways to treat human disease
by discovering how a variety of different animals cope with
similar diseases," Yoder says. "Studying multiple species
will give us more opportunities to discover the genetic basis
for many human diseases, and having animal models of human
diseases provides insight for new treatments."
Two
essential lines of research in reaching this goal are to use
animals that have diseases similar to those found in humans
and to study the development and replication of stem cells.
Stem cells are immature cells that differentiate into specific
body components, such as blood cells, skeletal muscle and
fat cells, as an organism grows.
Purdue
animal scientists currently study stem cells in pigs to determine
why some stem cells develop into normal skeletal muscle cells
while others are abnormal. At IU's medical school, investigators
carry out similar research on rodents. By comparative evaluation
of the two groups' findings, they may be able to isolate new
genes and molecules and develop methods for controlling the
metamorphoses of stem cells.
"Stem
cell biology is relevant to development of multiple tissues,
including those that impact growth and composition of livestock,"
says Alan Grant, professor and department head of animal sciences
at Purdue. "We know there is a lot more to learn about stem
cells and their part in muscle and fat development and growth
in animals. At the same time, medical scientists are interested
in using large animals as models. Studying disease and development
in pigs has major implications for human medicine because
of the similarity in anatomy and physiology they share with
humans. These research areas extend much further than our
traditional programs."
Grant
investigates muscle satellite cells involved with atrophy
in pigs. He and fellow animal scientist Dave Gerrard believe
their studies may help researchers better understand muscle
development. This information not only could lead to meatier
livestock but also benefit victims of muscle diseases, heart
diseases and accidents.
Common ground
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