A state-of-the-art large animal isolation unit that will set a new standard in patient housing and infection control opened today at the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College.

In the isolation facility potentially infectious animals will be completely separated from other patients, especially horses that are being admitted for elective medical/surgical evaluations or other procedures. Animals showing signs of infectious disease will immediately be directed to the isolation unit.

The 9,000-square-foot facility includes 12 separated stalls, each with its own nursing station, video monitoring from a centralized station and state-of-the-art sophisticated diagnostic equipment. Each stall has dual access with interior and exterior doors, which will improve the efficiency and working conditions for staff and clinicians.

"It's very exciting to be opening the doors of this long-awaited facility," said Elizabeth Stone, OVC dean. "We've always provided innovative health care services, and this new unit gives our clients yet another reason to be confident and secure in our ability to provide the best care possible."

Located in the southwest corner of the OVC complex, the isolation unit serves as the anchor for the new OVC Health Sciences Centre, which will include the Hill's Pet Nutrition Primary Healthcare Centre, scheduled for completion in 2010, an animal cancer care centre and an equine sports medicine and reproduction centre.

Construction of the isolation unit was funded through infrastructure grants from the federal and provincial governments, with additional support from the University.

A new era in veterinary education is one step closer to reality as the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) officially startes construction of the Hill's Pet Nutrition Primary Healthcare Centre.

The centre - part of the overall redevelopment of OVC and creation of the OVC Health Sciences Centre - is supported by a $5-million, 10-year commitment from Hill's Pet Nutrition that was announced last spring. Ontario's Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities also invested $9.5 million in the facility and OVC redevelopment last year.

The unique educational centre ensures OVC will continue to be an international leader in learning, teaching and research in companion animal primary health care and service delivery, said OVC Dean Elizabeth Stone.

"Primary health care is fundamental in recognizing and enhancing the relationship between pets and their owners," Stone said. "The centre will give our student veterinarians unprecedented and invaluable learning and training opportunities and bring vital infrastructure improvements to the entire OVC campus."

The centre will integrate a new model of how primary health care could be delivered in Canada and be a learning hub for students and veterinarians from around the world to participate in shaping the future of veterinary medicine. Integrated programs such as nutrition, behaviour, rehabilitation, animal welfare and public health will support preventive and general medicine.

"We have listened to our graduating veterinarians and their future employers," Stone said. "We need to provide more experience in the day-to-day patient care and practice management many will see as they enter the workforce."

Currently, the bulk of OVC students' clinical training takes place during their fourth year in the highly specialized environment of a teaching hospital -- a centre for complex referral cases. Students see the most sophisticated diagnostic and treatment procedures, but they have limited opportunities to participate in routine health care.

The Hill's Pet Nutrition Primary Healthcare Centre will provide more hands-on experience with day-to-day health-care issues throughout the four-year doctor of veterinary medicine program. Students will be able to log up to 300 hours and see about 200 patients during the four years of their DVM program.

They'll also learn about new and emerging technology and procedures that will enable them to educate owners about the health of their animals and add value to their future employers and veterinary practices, Stone said.

In addition, students will be integrally involved in the centre's management and operation and will provide diagnosis and treatment under the supervision of a core staff of veterinarians and technicians who will serve as mentors, trainers and evaluators.

"This new centre will provide our students with an unprecedented learning experience," said Maureen Mancuso, provost and vice-president (academic). "It will enhance OVC's already strong reputation for excellence and improve both the competence and confidence of our graduates."

Construction is expected to be completed in mid-2010.

Two Ontario Veterinary College researchers received nearly $1 million from the Canadian Cancer Society to support their promising efforts in finding new ways to control the growth of cancer.

The grants to Department of Biomedical Sciences professors Brenda Coomber and Roger Moorehead were among 71 new research grants announced Wednesday by the Canadian Cancer Society.

Moorehead received a special Lung Cancer Initiative grant, one of only five awarded across the country.

"This new funding is exciting and will enable my research to continue forward and hopefully make new discoveries that will help answer more questions about the cancer puzzle," said Moorehead, who will receive $491,230 over four years to investigate the roles of several genes in the development of lung cancer.

Moorehead will modify the expression of these genes in cells taken from human lung cancers to determine exactly how they function in the growth and progression of lung cancer. In particular, his team will focus on type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR), a protein on the surface of the cell that signals the cell nucleus whether to divide and grow or die. Researchers want to understand how IGF-IR is involved in triggering cancer and whether drugs can be developed to "switch it off."

"Eventually we want to be able to show whether this receptor will be a good target in the treatment of lung cancer," said Moorehead.

Coomber, co-director of OVC's Institute for Comparative Cancer Investigation (ICCI), will receive $481,760 over four years to continue research on angiogenesis â€" blood vessel growth â€" and cancer. Promising advances in cancer treatment in recent years involve preventing the development of blood vessels that feed the tumours, depriving them of nutrients and oxygen.

Working with Dr. David Rodenhiser of the University of Western Ontario, Coomber's lab is examining whether some anti-angiogenic therapies have some unintended consequences.

"Reducing the amount of oxygen available may actually cause genetic changes that promote the growth of tumour cells, thus compromising the effectiveness of the treatment, which could be counteracted if properly understood," she said.

"These excellent and innovative new projects represent tremendous hope for making cancer history," says Tania Framst, manager of the society's Guelph office. "The Canadian Cancer Society is grateful for the continued generosity of our donors and volunteers who make this research possible."

A one-of-a-kind centre aimed at preventing and controlling emerging animal-related diseases that threaten public health has officially opened at the University of Guelph.

The Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses brings together scientists in a variety of fields to address new or re-emerging zoonotic diseases (those that can jump between animals and humans) such as the H1N1 flu virus, bird flu, E. coli 0157:H7 and West Nile virus.

Based at Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College, it involves some 40 scientists from across U of G, as well as a wide group of collaborators from government agencies and industry.

"This groundbreaking centre was established in recognition of OVC's strong tradition in research and education in animal-related aspects of public health and extensive collaborative partnerships," said OVC dean Elizabeth Stone.

Today's official opening was held at the OVC Lifetime Learning Centre, the event featured talks by leaders from around the country on the challenges and opportunities facing public health.

The Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses is directed by Jan Sargeant, a professor in OVC's Department of Population Medicine and the holder of a $1-million Applied Public Health Chair from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Forces such as globalization have made zoonotic diseases a major public health threat worldwide, said Sargeant, and veterinarians are uniquely equipped to investigate and come up with solutions.

"Up to 75 per cent of emerging diseases that pose a threat to human health originate in animal populations, whether it's avian flu or new strains of antibiotic-resistant 'superbugs,'" she said. "We have an important role to play in developing knowledge and expertise in this area and integrating them in the public health system."

The centre will promote research and collaborations in a variety of disciplines, including food-animal diseases such as E. coli O157:H7 (which is what caused the Walkerton water crisis), companion-animal infections and wildlife zoonoses such as West Nile virus.

Integrating research and surveillance efforts is expected to help in predicting problems and in enhancing understanding and control of infectious diseases that people can acquire from animals.