Dr. Gruen and Dr. Sano Receive CMI New Faculty Clinical Research Award

By Brianna Johnson

The CMI is funding two exciting new clinical trials through the New Faculty Clinical Research Award.  Dr. Michael Sano, an assistant professor in Biomedical Engineering at NC State, has teamed up with Dr. Callie Fogle, a large animal surgeon at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, to test and refine their INSPIRE treatment in large dermal tumors in horses. This therapy uses ultrashort electrical pulses to target and destroy cancer cells based on their unique electrical properties. INSPIRE has the potential to be used for solid tumors in the pancreas, liver, kidney, lungs, and brains of human and animal patients.  Drs. Margaret Gruen and Katherine Pankratz, veterinary behaviorists at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, are collaborating with an industry partner to perform a randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded clinical trial evaluating the use of an anti-anxiety pulsed electromagnetic fields device to minimize separation anxiety in dogs. This device has the potential to be a novel, non-pharmacologic option for dogs with this
disorder, as well as other anxiety disorders in dogs.

Congratulations to Drs. Sano, Fogle, Gruen, and Pankratz for their excellent proposals.