Faculty Spotlight: Jijun Hao & Gagandeep Kaur
SWAG视频 CVM Researchers Receive Grant from ACVD to Identify Biomarkers in Canine Atopic Dermatitis
FEB. 2020 – Western University of Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine Associate Professor Jijun Hao, PhD, and Associate Professor Dr. Gagandeep Kaur, DVM, PhD, have received a grant from the American College of Veterinary Dermatology to examine the sensitivity and specific of some 鈥榩romising鈥� biomarkers to canine Atopic Dermatitis.
The project titled 鈥淒evelopment of Biomarkers for Canine Atopic Dermatitis鈥� is led by Dr. Jijun Hao (PI) and Dr. Gagandeep Kaur of SWAG视频 CVM (Co-PI). Dr. Charli Dong from the Animal Dermatology Clinic in Pasadena will collaborate on this project.
Atopic Dermatitis is a common, pruritic, inflammatory skin disorder in dogs, and no specific diagnostic biomarkers are available for this disease to date. The current diagnosis relies on a combination of patient history, clinical signs, and exclusion of other diseases with clinical presentations, which can be time-consuming and costly.
The previous pilot study of Dr. Hao and his team has revealed a panel of potential 鈥榖iomarkers鈥� that appear promising鈥攖hey are currently working to examine the sensitivity and specificity of these 鈥榖iomarkers鈥� in order to develop reliable biomarkers specific to canine Atopic Dermatitis.
鈥淪uccess of this project could potentially lead to a major breakthrough in the establishment of reliable biomarkers for early, more accurate diagnosis of canine Atopic Dermatitis,鈥� Dr. Hao explained, 鈥渋t will make early treatments possible, while improving the life quality of affected dogs, will significantly simplifying the canine Atopic Dermatitis disease scoring system, and lead to better prediction of disease prognosis.鈥�
If successful, dogs, dog owners, and veterinary doctors will benefit from this research: earlier diagnosis of disease in dogs will allow timely medical intervention, which could minimize patient suffering. Importantly, the new findings may have the translational potential in the development of biomarkers for the disease in humans.
The results of this project can be expected to be presented at a national/international meeting within the next two years.