Steve Dow, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, Laboratory for Immunotherapy
Growing up in southeastern Virginia, I spent a lot of time fishing and taking in injured animals (birds, snakes, turtles, fish) from the fields and streams nearby. My passion for science really began, starting with a high school science project where I studied the ecosystem of a nearby lake. From that experience, I knew that I wanted to spend my career studying the world around me.
At the University of Virginia, I majored in environmental science – sure that I would work in some kind of ecology-related job. However, as I began to explore my career options, I realized that I could pursue both my love of animals and the science behind their diseases.
This discovery led me to apply to vet schools around the country. I was accepted into the veterinary medicine program at the University of Georgia and moved south. I then did my internship at the Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. After that, I came to Colorado State University where I completed a residency in internal medicine and became a Board-certified Small Animal Internal Medicine Specialist.
Following my residency, I committed to further developing my research skills and understanding. Under the guidance of the late Dr. Ed Hoover, I finished my PhD training in Comparative Pathology in the field of neuroimmunology. After that, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in T cell receptors and recognition of alloantigens and Mycobacterium tuberculosis at the National Jewish Center in the laboratory of Dr. Terry Potter.
As my postdoctoral research began to focus more on cancer immunotherapy, I sought to return to the Vet School at Colorado State University, where I accepted a faculty position in the Department of Clinical Sciences in 2002. In my job as a faculty mentor in Clinical Sciences at CSU, my time is split between directing the FACC research laboratory, teaching, and my clinical appointment as a small animal internist. The classes I teach include clinical immunology and tumor biology for veterinary students and residents, as well as for graduate students in Cancer Biology and Immunobiology.
I am the principal investigator of the Laboratory for Immunotherapy at the Flint Animal Cancer Center, a role that has allowed me the opportunity to develop new cancer immunotherapies and to implement those findings in clinical trials in our companion animals, both dogs and cats. Research in the laboratory is currently focused on both bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in dogs and brain cancer (glioma) in dogs. Our pet dogs develop bone and brain cancer that is very similar to the same cancers in people, such that what we learn from trials in dogs can often be applied to studies in pediatric and adult cancers.
Our own dog, Gus, a very friendly Standard Poodle, has also contributed to our world of research. We used skin biopsies from Gus to develop an immortal stem cell line that can be used to generate essentially any tissue in the body. Gus’ immortal cells are now being used to develop new stem cell therapies at CSU, and are also being shared around the country.
Collaboration is the highlight of my work here at CSU and particularly in the FACC. The faculty in the FACC all share similar goals, working together to develop new treatments for cancer and improve outcomes and the quality of life for dogs, cats, and people with cancer.
Key members of my laboratory in the FACC include Dr. Lyndah Chow (laboratory supervisor) and Jade Kurihara, Renata Impastato, and graduate students Dr. Alison Manchester, Dylan Ammons, and Jenna Cao.
Amongst faculty in the FACC, I work closely with Drs. Dan Regan, Keara Boss, Kristen Weishaar, Dan Gustafson, Doug Thamm, Boss, Sue Lana, and others in the Center. In my departmental collaborations, I include Dr. Mike Lapin (longtime friend from back in vet school days), Dr. Laurie Goodrich, Dr. Lynn Pezzanite, Dr. Kathryn Wotman, Dr. Sarah Shropshire, and Dr. Sarah Raabis, on a variety of projects ranging from infectious disease diagnostics to microbiome-immune interactions to improve outcomes from orthopedic injuries, all based on immune system understanding and new molecular tools.
Our lab also has many collaborators at the University of Colorado Cancer Center including Dr. Mike Verneris, Dr. Jessica Lake, Dr. Adam Green, and Dr. Terri Frye. With this group, we are exploring the use of genetically engineered T cells (CAR T cells) to treat bone and brain cancers.
Most rewarding part of the work we do? Seeing the results of the laboratory studies moving to clinical trials in dogs, and then on to clinical trials in human patients. And ultimately making a difference in discovering new treatments that can be moved efficiently to treatment options for our clinical patients.
When I was a medical resident at Colorado State, I met my wife, Robyn Elmslie, while she was also completing her oncology residency at CSU. She is currently a veterinary medical oncologist in Englewood, Colorado. Together, we have one son, Cooper, and we just celebrated our first grandchild. We try to spend as much time outdoors hiking, cycling, rock climbing, swimming and paddle boarding, and gardening. We also love our dogs Gus, Trad (a Golden Retriever), and Shebe (a golden doodle) are usually with us.