Using Unusual Animals to Study Human Disease

A Summer Research Project in Veterinarian Medicine Week 1

By Natalie Punt

Hello Scientistas!

I am excited to share my summer research experience
with you! My name is Natalie Punt and I am a soon-to-be second year veterinarian student at Western University College of Veterinarian Medicine in Pomona, California.

Being a veterinarian student is a challenging and rewarding
endeavor. As a future veterinarian I am responsible for the health of every species but one. Because veterinarian medicine naturally 

utilizes a comparative biology approach to study the physiology and pathology of the animal kingdom, veterinarians are experts at identifying features that are shared across all animals from those that are unique to a particular species.  This knowledge is becoming exceedingly valuable in biomedical research to identify conserved biological systems in animal models.    

Prior to attending veterinarian school I knew I was interested in biomedical research for the opportunity to study animals and pursue my passion for scientific discovery. With that self-knowledge I naturally gravitated towards the campus research community. By the first semester I found a mentor with similar interests in comparative genetics and had access to many mammalian annotated and sequenced genomes. 

True to the nature of science- my initial research 
project bears no resemblance to my current project however they are intrinsically linked. My initial research project was elucidating the genetics behind high altitude adaptation in the Snow Leopard. Yet my current project is focused on identifying the anti-cancer genetics of the Naked Mole Rat. 

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