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June 2018 - Vol. 13, No. 6

Top Stories

 

New $3.7 million NIH grant supports collaborative research against MERS coronavirus

MERS CoV Hit Compound diagram

A relatively new virus has commanded the attention of a team of multi-institutional researchers and prompted a $3.7 million for five-year research project.

“Since the unexpected emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2013, the ongoing outbreaks of MERS in the Middle East and the potential for global transmission of MERS have underscored the urgent need for effective preventive and therapeutic measures against this highly virulent coronavirus,” said Dr. Kyeong-Ok “KC” Chang, a virologist at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

 

 

Veterinary students join Beef Cattle Institute for industry education

By Shelby Mettlen

VTPRK students

Beginning May 14, 10 incoming first- and second-year veterinary students joined the Beef Cattle Institute (BCI) at Kansas State University for two weeks of beef industry-related tours, presentations and hands-on demonstrations.

Students Braxton Butler, Izabella Carmona, Lena Fernkopf, Jared Heiman, Ashley Joseph, Megan Westerhold, Meredith Schmidt, Matthew Kelso, Libby Farney and Shanlyn Hefley are part of the Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas (VTPRK), a state-funded effort provided through the College of Veterinary Medicine to return veterinary graduates to rural Kansas to serve counties of fewer than 35,000 residents.

 

 

K-State team conducts first U.S. livestock study with Japanese encephalitis virus

By Gabriella Doebele

Dr. Dana Vanlandingham and So Lee Park

In what is believed to be the first study of its kind in the United States, Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine researchers found that North American domestic pigs are potentially susceptible to infections with the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV).

“Japanese encephalitis virus is a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus that has high human and veterinary public health significance,” said So Lee Park, a third-year veterinary student and concurrent Ph.D. student, who was the first author on this research article.

 

 

Video Feature

Meet So Lee Park, concurrent DVM/Ph.D. student

Learn how So Lee Park was inspired to do high-containment research at the Biosecurity Research Institute with Dr. Dana Vanlandingham.