Biomedical Sciences

My research is concerned with how nutrition affects immunity. I am interested in nutrigenomic technology, or the study of how nutraceuticals affect the expression of genes involved in the immune response. My projects involve sheep and cows supplemented with selenium and its effects on immune responses, animal health, and animal production. In particular, we are interested in using selenium as a fertilizer to enhance forages fed to ruminants. I am also interested in the health benefits of dietary n-3 fatty acids and antioxidants in geriatric dog and cat foods. We are currently investigating these supplements in renoprotective foods used to slow the progression of chronic kidney disease in dogs and cats. In conjunction, we are assessing novel renal biomarkers used for monitoring disease progression and therapeutic interventions.