Laurel Haines
DVM/PhD Combined Student
I grew up in a rural part of Massachusetts on a small farm. I have always had a love for animals and spent much of my childhood caring for our many different pets which ranged from chickens to horses to even chinchillas. As I grew older, I became especially interested in the plants and wildlife that surrounded my home in New England. My love for science developed from there and quickly turned into an interest in biology and medicine.
For college, I headed north from Massachusetts to Vermont where I attended the University of Vermont majoring in biological sciences and minoring in chemistry. During college, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work in both basic science and translational medicine research laboratories. Much of my undergraduate research focused on studying how traumatic brain injuries affect the rest of the human body, mainly the cardiovascular system. My experience working in these labs spurred my interest in translational research and medicine and I knew it was the right fit for me.
After college, I started with a small biotech company in Boston working on vaccine development. I loved seeing what kind of direct effect my research could have on the world, and it was in this job that I decided I wanted to continue my education to make a bigger impact.
I decided to go back to school and began looking for an intersection where I could pursue both my love for research, medicine, and animals. When I discovered a combined PhD/DVM program, I knew that would be the perfect path for me. I applied to several programs but the strong, supportive community at Colorado State University really stood out to me. After meeting many of the members of the Flint Animal Cancer Center, I ultimately decided that this would be the best place for me to pursue my passion for translational research and make a difference in both animal and human lives.
After acceptance into the program, I chose to join Dr. Daniel Regan’s lab to complete the PhD portion of my combined program. My day-to-day work in Dr. Regan’s laboratory is the perfect combination of clinical work with pets, basic lab research, and clinical trials.
In the lab, my research focuses on understanding changes that occur in the lungs prior to metastasis in cases of osteosarcoma. I am working on characterizing specific signals that are released from the primary bone tumor and traffic to the lungs to begin a cascade of pro-cancerous events that lead to metastasis. Once we better understand this process, we aim to identify new targets for therapeutic development to slow or prevent osteosarcoma metastasis to the lungs.
In addition to the portion of my project that focuses on basic laboratory research, I have also been able to participate in evaluating new therapies for osteosarcoma- first in dog clinical trials here at CSU and now in human clinical trials with collaborators from around the country. It is amazing to see how the things we learn from our dog patients are now being used to inform treatment options for humans. I feel really fortunate to be able to work on the front lines of cancer research for both pets and humans.
After I complete my PhD work and defend my thesis, I will return to veterinary school and finish the clinical years of my DVM program. After that, my goal is to complete a pathology residency which will give me an even greater understanding of cancer at the cellular level.
When I’m not at work, I’m usually outside enjoying all that Colorado has to offer. I love to hike, mountain bike, and rock climb. I have an Australian Shepherd named Elisa who loves to adventure with me. She’s even donated blood to be used in the lab as a healthy control.
I still have a long road of research and school ahead of me but I am passionate about learning as much as I can so that I can be a part of the fight against cancer.