Healing All Worlds

What’s good medicine for animals often turns out to be good for humans as well. This is something that the UW School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) has been demonstrating for a long time.

And right now, SVM faculty and scientists are working on therapies and products that will reshape how we treat a number of human ailments. One example is Peter Muir, whose work on load-bearing connective tissue in animals has led to promising new approaches for treating anterior cruciate ligament problems in humans. Another example is Jonathan McAnulty, who has been developing a new generation of wound dressings infused with infection-fighting silver nanoparticles. And, the SVM’s radiation oncology team is working with canine osteosarcoma patients to not only treat the cancer but also prevent limb amputations, work that shows promise for fighting this deadly disease in people.

The UW School of Veterinary Medicine’s ongoing efforts to extend discoveries into the realm of human medicine is part of its commitment to One Health. This approach involves collaborations among individuals in human and animal medicine as well as the environmental sciences. These partnerships greatly extend the mission of the school — and bring healing to more living things.