Research:

Dr. Furrow’s research program is devoted to using naturally occurring animal models to discover metabolic and genetic risk factors for urolithiasis (urinary stone disease) and other urologic and renal diseases in humans. She is the co-director of the Minnesota Urolith Center (veterinary), which analyzes over 80,000 uroliths each year. She is also a member of the Comparative Genetics Group. Trainees in her laboratory gain expertise in the latest genetics and genomics analysis techniques, statistical genetics, and animal models of urologic disease. Dr. Furrow is a 2021 winner of the UMN Council of Graduate Students Outstanding Advisor Award. As a former T32 trainee, Dr. Furrow is uniquely positioned to serve as a mentor and Co-PD to continue her contribution to this training program. She is a past mentor to former T32 trainee, Dr. Emily Coffey (2019-2022) .

Research:

• The Carlson laboratory focuses on the study of animal models of human orthopaedic disease, particularly osteoarthritis and osteochondrosis. Dr. Carlson collaborates with Dr. Richard Loeser (UNC Chapel Hill) on studies of osteoarthritis, primarily focusing on characterization of histological lesions occurring in this disease and how these are altered by genotype or treatment. This work is supported by a NIH R01 subcontract. Studies on osteochondrosis are done in collaboration with veterinary surgeons and MRI scientists, as they seek methods to detect and treat subclinical disease before it reaches a stage of unalterable chronicity. Dr. Carlson’s prior R01 funding focused on diagnostic and prognostic MRI studies of the disease in live children as well as studies of the pathogenesis of the disease in cadaveric specimens of human juvenile knee joints. Dr. Carlson served as mentor for previous T32 trainees Drs. Erik Olson (2004-2007), Ferenc Tóth (2011-2014), and Alexandra Armstrong (2021). 

Research:

Dr. Guedes’ research focuses on neurophysiology of pain/nociception and involves basic and translational studies with induced and spontaneous animal models of pain. His current research focuses on strategies aimed at mitigating the impact of the opioid epidemic. This includes discovery and development of non-opioid medications for the control of chronic pain, as well as developing biologics and devices for preventing and treating opioid use disorder (OUD). Trainees will be responsible for conducting studies, collecting and organizing the data, data analysis, writing up the results and preparing manuscripts. Techniques used in the lab include development of clinically relevant large animal models of opioid-induced critical respiratory depression for testing of OUD-mitigating strategies, assessment of pain-related behaviors in animals, quantitative sensory testing in animals, electrophysiology (cells and animals), single cell calcium imaging, and cellular and molecular biology techniques (ELISA, Western blotting, mass spectrometry, in situ hybridization, RT-PCR, RNA-Seq, etc.). Dr. Guedes is an experienced mentor on both the R25 Summer Research Program for Diversity Students in PharmacoNeuroImmunology and the former PNI T32.