Vet Center, Presbyterian Health Foundation Dedicate Lab |
OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences dedicated a new biosafety level 3 laboratory facility today, a recognition of the Presbyterian Health Foundation for its investment in veterinary medical research at OSU. The result of a partnership marked by the Foundation’s $1 million gift to the Veterinary Center, the facility greatly expands capabilities for biodefense and emerging infectious disease research.
“This partnership has made it possible for us to provide a much needed resource for OSU, as well as other entities in the state and in the region,” said Michael Anderson, Ph.D., President of the Presbyterian Health Foundation.
According to Dr. Michael Lorenz, professor and dean of the Veterinary Center, the Presbyterian Health Foundation Veterinary Medical Research Laboratory will provide a state-of-the-art facility for infectious diseases research. |
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Pictured (left to right) are Dr. Michael Lorenz, OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences Dean, Michael Anderson, Presbyterian Health Foundation President, David Schmidly, OSU President, and J. R. Caton, Presbyterian Health Foundation Vice President, at the official ribbon cutting ceremony during Thursday’s dedication. |
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“This is one of only four biosafety level 3 animal facilities in the region,” Lorenz said. “This facility will enhance biodefense and research on emerging infectious diseases, which is very important to animal and human health.”
The new laboratory expands the Center’s capabilities to continue this type of research and is available to scientists at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF). Among the projects that will benefit from the new facility are a current partnership between OSU’s Veterinary Center and the Baylor College of Medicine and planned projects with the OMRF.
According to Lorenz, capabilities within the PHF Veterinary Medical Research Laboratory will support competition by OSU veterinary researchers for new grants and contracts, potentially increasing the flow of research dollars into the state.
OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences is part of the Western Regional Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, which is a National Institutes of Health funded medical center based in Galveston, Texas. The region covers Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
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