On October 5, faculty members, students, and scholars attended the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine’s 28th Annual Phi Zeta Research Day, a colloquium that showcases the research of students and faculty from the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine and across the University. Participants presented their research orally or with a poster, and were judged in various categories including presentation and scholarship.
Generating new knowledge through research is key to advancing the health and well-being of animals and humans.
“Generating new knowledge through research is key to advancing the health and well-being of animals and humans. Phi Zeta Research Day allows us to share our research findings and celebrate contributions to biomedical research and build further interactions,” says Dr. Vilma Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan, associate dean for Research and Graduate Studies. “Through exchange of ideas, development of new perspectives, and utilizing different talents and approaches in interdisciplinary teams, we will bring solutions to health care needs of animals and humans.”
This year, more than 95 veterinary students, master and doctoral students, residents, interns, undergraduates, and faculty presented their research. During the award ceremony, Dr. James Luyendyk, professor in the Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, received the Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence for his research on mechanisms through which the blood coagulation cascade contributes to acute and chronic liver disease. Luyendyk’s team was the pioneer to functionally connect coagulation protease activity to the mechanism of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease pathogenesis in an experimental setting. This work defined a novel role for the thrombin receptor protease activated receptor-1 in this disease. Luyendyk’s work exploring the role of blood coagulation proteases in acetaminophen hepatotoxicity formed a fundamental basis for emerging clinical investigation, and revealed tissue factor-positive microparticles as biomarkers of morbidity in patients with acute liver failure. For Phi Zeta Research Day, Luyendyk presented some of his most recent research on “Fibrin(ogen) drives liver regeneration in mice and humans.”
“The scientific rigor and tireless dedication that Dr. Luyendyk and his team have applied to understanding liver disease have resulted in 25 key publications in the last three years, four of them in 2018," says Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan. “His enthusiasm for research is contagious, and he makes learning and discovery fun.”
Dr. Christopher Contag, inaugural director of the MSU Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering and chairperson of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, gave this year’s keynote address. Contag, who also is the inaugural James and Kathleen Cornelius Endowed Chair, presented on “Redefining the Threshold between Biology and Pathobiology.”
Dr. Contag graduated from the University of Minnesota with an undergraduate degree in biology and a PhD in microbiology. He then continued his career at Stanford University, where he pioneered molecular imaging tools and pursued novel and cell-based therapies. Since he joined MSU in 2017, he has taken a key leadership role and major challenges in medicine through his work on technologies and approaches for precision health and medicine. His science is shaping how the world thinks about biology, medicine, and delivery of care to patients.
“We are excited to have Dr. Christopher Contag deliver the keynote address,” says Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan. “Dr. Contag is a visionary scientist and he is well-poised to revolutionize medicine and health care. In the College of Veterinary Medicine, we have many opportunities to be part of the solution to long-standing problems in biomedical sciences and serve both human and veterinary patients."
Each year, this event is presented in conjunction with Phi Zeta, the honorary society of veterinary medicine. To learn more about Phi Zeta Research Day, visit cvm.msu.edu/phizetaday.