Dermatology & Dermal Biology

Dermatology & Dermal Biology

Roslyn Rivkah Isseroff, MD

SOM: Dermatology 

Our lab studies wound repair and tissue regeneration. We use cell models (skin cell migration studies), ex vivo tissue models (wound healing in a piece of human skin in a petrie dish), animal models (wounds in mouse skin) and we also carry out translational research where we apply what we have learned at the bench to our clinic patients (Dr. Isseroff is also chief of dermatology at the VA hospital and directs the wound clinic there, where patients with diabetic non-healing wounds, and other wounds are treated). In addition, we have just established a pig wound model, that the FDA prefers for testing all new wound therapies. We plan on generating an impaired healing pig wound model, by using pigs that are diabetic, or by infecting the wound surface with pathogenic bacteria. In addition to the PI (Isseroff), our lab is staffed by MD and PhD postdocs, three PhD graduated students, junior specialists, a senior scientist. We interact closely with the Stem Cell program and we are funded to create a wound healing bioengineered tissue construct that is seeded with mesenchymal stem cells. We also study the effects of chronic stress on healing, and how it alters the immune response that impacts on healing. We offer bench or clinical (human patient) projects.

Please contact Dr. Isseroff at rrisseroff@ucdavis.edu.

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Tessa LeCuyer, DVM, PhD

Assistant Agronomist, Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology

(See also:Immunology/Infectious Disease, Microbiology/Parasitology)

Dr. LeCuyer is a veterinary clinical microbiologist who assists with laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases in the VMTH.  Her research interests include antimicrobial stewardship, detection of antimicrobial resistance and impacts on clinical outcomes, chronic bacterial infections, and improving diagnostic testing.

Potential STAR research projects include: 1) Evaluation of novel therapies for canine otitis, 2) Determination of factors that impact antimicrobial drug selection and treatment outcomes for patients with infectious diseases, 3) Characterization of bacteria that cause recurrent infections (especially urinary tract infections in dogs).  Skills to be developed include laboratory techniques, such as bacterial cultivation, PCR, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and biofilm detection assays, as well as non-laboratory skills such as medical record review, antimicrobial selection skills, bioinformatics, and retrospective data analysis techniques.

Both laboratory based and non-lab based projects are possible.   

For more information on projects, email tlecuyer@ucdavis.edu.

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