Dr. Craig Franklin, DVM, PhD, DACLAM, an associate professor at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, was recently named the recipient of the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners Excellence in Research Award 2007. The award honors members of ASLAP and the American Veterinary Medical Association for scientific contributions to laboratory animal medicine and comparative medicine. The organization recognizes individuals for significant and repeated scientific contributions to animal welfare, animal husbandry, animal health or the development of animal models. The award also recognizes studies using laboratory animals that have resulted in contributions to human health either through basic of applied research.

“Your peers have recognized your contributions and resoundingly confirmed your nomination,” according to the award letter from ASLAP.

Franklin instructs veterinary and graduate students in immunology, rodent biology, comparative pathology, and laboratory animal medicine. He is a member of the Research Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, which provides diagnostic, reproductive and genetic services for the biomedical research community. His research in the RADIL focuses on two primary areas: the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease; and the characterization and study of mutant rodent animal models for human disease.

Franklin will receive his award during the Annual Meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association to be held July 19-22 in New Orleans. During the conference, he will present to the attendees an area of his research as part of the Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Medicine session. Franklin said he will discuss his current research on inflammatory bowel disease and how this research evolved.

“We currently study intestinal inflammation in mice infected with Helicobacter hepaticus as a model for inflammatory bowel diseases, also known as IBD,” Franklin said. “I will discuss our current projects that include estrogen-based modulation of IBD; the search for genes involves in IBD susceptibility; and the roles of T regulatory cells and dendritic cells in the pathogenesis of IBD. I will highlight how this animal model and these studies began in the RADIL with studies centered on discovery, characterization and diagnosis of several rodent helicobacters.”

Franklin will receive a plaque, an honorarium and ASLAP will provide his travel expenses to the conference as part of the award.

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