Using Biomarkers to Help Diagnose and Predict Diseases
A key goal of our work is to turn laboratory discoveries into tools that can directly help patients. One way we do this is by identifying biomarkers—measurable substances in blood or spinal fluid that can aid in diagnosis or predict disease. Building off work during graduate school, Dr. Christine Toedebusch has led multiple studies investigating the diagnostic accuracy of measuring neurofilament proteins in the spinal fluid and blood of dogs with spinal cord disease. Ongoing studies are expanding biomarker discovery across a variety of neurological diseases affecting dogs and cats.
High-quality veterinary biospecimens are also essential for advancing both animal and human health. Dr. Christine Toedebusch co-leads national efforts to strengthen veterinary biobanking and directs the UC Davis Veterinary Neurology Biorepository. This resource contains thousands of carefully collected samples from companion animals and has already supported multiple innovative research projects. Through collaborations with other major universities, this effort has expanded into a multi-institutional biorepository, creating a shared research resource that accelerates discovery across species.
Collaborations in this space:
Dr. Randy Carney, PhD
University of California Davis
Dr. Molly Church, DVM PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Joan Coates, DVM MS
University of Missouri – Columbia
Dr. LaTasha Crawford, DVM PhD
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dr. Carrie Finno, DVM, PhD
University of California Davis
Dr. Vishal Murthy, DVM
University of California Davis
Dr. Luke Wittenburg, DVM PhD
University of California Davis
Support:
Association of the American Veterinary Medical Colleges (COHA Pilot)