Research

“Although the history of both human and veterinary medicine goes back thousands of years, we are only discovering now the opportunities for both worlds to work together to solve similar problems.” – Dr. Dominic J. Marino, DVM

“When I first saw a child with Chiari Malformation, you see what the parents go through with the child. There needs to be a lot more research to not only help children, but also help the dogs as well,” – Dr. Catherine Loughlin, staff surgeon, Long Island Veterinary Services

At the heart of the research supported by the One Medicine Foundation (formerly New York Veterinary Foundation) is the focus on the interdependent relationship between humans and animals—and how what benefits one may also help enhance the life of the other.

Our most recent research is focusing on screening for early and treatment for a disease that affects children and pets, low-dose radiation to target cancer in pets, and the use of medical infrared imaging as a screening tool for conditions such as cancer, intervertebral disk disease, arthritis, Chiari-Like Malformation and cruciate ligament disease.

Chiari-Like Malformation and Syringomyelia
Screening for early detection and treatment for children and puppies suffering from a serious disease

When a child or a puppy suffers from Chiari malformation, the skull is not shaped correctly or is simply too small. As a result, the patient’s brain moves through the opening in the skull to crowd the spinal cord—causing extreme pain, neurologic weakness, difficulty learning and seizures.

Sadly, this malformation affects over 300,000 children and thousands of puppies every year. But because this disease affects puppies, their treatment is a natural model for work helping children.

Our research is working toward a non-invasive and accurate method for screening for Chiari-like malformation in dogs. Successful screening tests could result in large scale screening of children so that there can be more early detection and treatment for those with Chiari malformation.

Electronic Brachytherapy
Low-dose radiation therapy to target cancer in pets

Working in collaboration with researchers at medical centers who are treating breast cancer in people with newly developed “precision guided low dose” radiation therapy, One Medicine Foundation is pioneering treatments models for brain nasal, skin and spinal tumors in pets.
The precision guided low dose radiation—electronic brachytherapy—delivers a targeted dose of radiation to an area, such as a tumor with cancer cells. This type of precision, previously not possible, also protects normal tissue in the body and there are far fewer side effects. In addition, the cost is much lower, and as a result, more families are able to afford this treatment for their pets.

Thermography
Expanding the use of Medical Infrared Imaging (MII)

Thermography—known as Medical Infrared Imaging (MII) in medicine—is gaining attention because of its ability to detect harmful changes to physiology years before traditional methods can detect tumors. Recent advances in technology may make MII a more acceptable modality in a variety of medical applications in both human and veterinary medicine.

Through One Medicine Foundation, specialists at Long Island Veterinary Center have been at the forefront of the development of this technology as a screening tool for conditions such as cancer, intervertebral disk disease, arthritis, Chiari-Like Malformation and cruciate ligament disease.