Research Equipment Support
The CCAH launched its Faculty Equipment Grants Program in 2014 after recognizing the ongoing need of the school’s faculty to purchase new equipment and pay for replacements or repairs. “It’s hard to repair or replace equipment needed for research because most grants exclude equipment,” says Director Dr. Michael Kent. “If a freezer or centrifuge breaks, it needs to get done right away.”
In the program’s ten years of existence, nearly $2.6 million, has been used to finance nearly 150 total requests for equipment. During the 2022 round of funding, the CCAH fulfilled 21 requests — totaling more than $466,000 — for the following items:
VetScan HM5
Principal Investigator: Amir Kol
Benefit to Companion Animals: This equipment will be used to isolate specific immune cell subsets from cats' blood for downstream analysis. Obtaining reliable cell counts from the blood sample is a critical first step in this research process.
Upgrade of iBlot3 Transfer System
Principal Investigator: Brian Leonard
Benefit to Companion Animals: The unit will be used to quantify antimicrobial peptides, small proteins made from the cells on the surface of the eye that combat infection. Additionally, this will determine the efficacy of small molecules to increase the amount of antimicrobial peptides synthesized and secreted in tears
Boston Scientific Lithoclast Trilogy
Principal Investigator: Carrie Palm
Benefit to Companion Animals: Laser lithotripsy is used in veterinary medicine as a minimally invasive treatment for uroliths (stones) in the lower urinary tract; however, when a patient has upper urinary tract stones, or a large stone burden, laser lithotripsy is ineffective. Combined ultrasonic and ballistic lithotripsy has been used in humans to treat patients who cannot be effectively treated with laser lithotripsy, but its use in veterinary medicine is rare, which this equipment will allow.
Bead Mill, Vacuum System, Microscope, IHC, BSC and Pipettes
Principal Investigator: Daniel York
Benefit to Companion Animals: The equipment will support ongoing cancer studies evaluating genes associated with cancer risk in companion animals. It will be used to help evaluate cancer patient immune cell profiles that may predict a favorable outcome for companion animal cancer patients and potentially identify novel ways the immune system can be boosted to fight tumors.
Microcentrifuge and Pipetteman
Principal Investigator: Danika Bannasch
Benefit to Companion Animals: This equipment will be dedicated to studying genes in dogs that can make copies of themselves and determining which ones are still active and potentially dangerous.
MazeEngineers Custom-made Treadmill
Principal Investigator: Hugues Beaufrere
Benefit to Companion Animals: This custom-made treadmill designed specifically for bearded dragons includes adjustable speeds and inclinations and software to program exercise routines. The unit will be used to study the effects of exercise on liver and blood fat and cholesterol in bearded dragons and other companion reptiles.
Large Chamber for Barometric Whole-Body Plethysmography Chamber
Principal Investigator: Joao Soares
Benefit to Companion Animals: This equipment is essential to investigating whether a pre-anesthetic evaluation of the breathing pattern of these dogs can predict breathing problems during or after anesthesia. These studies will enhance our capability to predict respiratory complications associated with anesthesia and will facilitate the objective recognition of respiratory diseases and the response to different therapies.
Revco -80 Freezer for Infectious Disease Isolatesr
Principal Investigator: Jonathan Dear
Benefit to Companion Animals: This shared freezer will provide the internal medicine specialist focused on infectious disease much needed space to store samples from patients in order to develop new diagnostics and treatment options.
iPads, Wi-Fi Boosters, and Portable Chargers
Principal Investigator: Kristin Jankowski
Benefit to Companion Animals: Funding will be used to purchase equipment that enables survey administration/data collection for research purposes by our student-assisted One Health clinics.
Optical Cartridges for AriaMX Quantitative Real Time PCR Instrument
Principal Investigator: Luke Wittenburg
Benefit to Companion Animals: By adding additional cartridges, we are now able to measure multiple target DNA sequences within the same sample instead of setting up multiple individual samples. This allows for more accuracy and confidence in comparisons between samples and reduces the amount of consumables that would be required to measure many target DNA sequences individually.
DinbeatUNO Wireless Monitoring System
Principal Investigator: Lynelle Johnson
Benefit to Companion Animals: This is a multi-parameter harness that allows real-time and wireless monitoring of the most important vital signs of patients. The system consists of a series of fabric vests of various sizes that can accept small electronic monitoring devices that will remotely measure heart rate, heart rhythm via generation of an electrocardiogram, body temperature, motion, and respiratory rate as the animal sleeps, walks, runs, or plays ball.
Surgical and Endodontic Treatment Instruments
Principal Investigator: Maria Soltero-Rivera
Benefit to Companion Animals: These instruments will be used in procedures such as root canal and vital pulp therapy to save teeth with endodontal disease.
ELISpot
Principal Investigator: Patricia Pesavento
Benefit to Companion Animals: The ELISpot plate reader is for clinical research, with applications ranging from disease pathogenesis to the development of clinical diagnostic tests.
Doppler, Doppler Case, Multiparameter Monitor
Principal Investigator: Robert Rebhun
Benefit to Companion Animals: This equipment is an immunoassay specifically designed to measure antigen-specific T cells. The ELISpot plate reader is for clinical research, with applications ranging from disease pathogenesis to the development of clinical diagnostic tests.
Repair of 50 MHz Transducer of the Compact Touch Ultrasound Biomicroscopy (UBM)
Principal Investigator: Soohyun Kim
Benefit to Companion Animals: The primary focus is using UBM to study the relationship between ocular structures and diseases that can lead to blindness in companion animals, such as glaucoma, intraocular cancer, and various corneal diseases.
Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Machine
Principal Investigator: Stephanie Goldschmidt
Benefit to Companion Animals: This equipment has the potential to delineate healthy from cancer tissue in real time during surgery to ensure no cancer cells are left behind.
Repair of the Mechanical Testing System Repair
Principal Investigator: Susan Stover
Benefit to Companion Animals: The mechanical testing system is used to test new treatment methods for repair of bone, joint, spine, and jaw fractures and disorders before these new methods are considered for use in animals.
Milli-Q Ultrapure Water System
Principal Investigator: Karen Shapiro
Benefit to Companion Animals: This shared equipment will allow us to produce ultrapure water directly in the laboratory.
DTen Zoom Monitors
Principal Investigator: CCAH & SVM Research Labs
Benefit to Companion Animals: This all-in-one conferencing system is used to support companion animal research by allowing investigators to talk to each other in real time and share data instantly.
Anthex Synergy (laparoscopic surgery imaging tower)
Principal Investigator: William Culp and Philipp Mayhew
Benefit to Companion Animals: This is a laparoscopic surgery imaging tower that provides the capability to perform minimally invasive soft tissue surgery. This equipment not only allows us to perform surgery more safely and less invasively but also allows our surgeons to help develop these new procedures
Boston Scientific Rhythmia HDx Mapping & Navigation System
Principal Investigator: Allison Gagnon
Benefit to Companion Animals: This is a 3D mapping and navigation system that can be used in cardiac electrophysiology research and patient care procedures. Significantly, it can help find the source of heart arrythmias and allow these to be repaired.