A vaccine created by University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Center for Vaccines & Immunology researchers to battle multiple life-threatening fungal infections is successful in achieving protective immunity in pre-clinical animal models while also maintaining the biodiversity of the gut microbiome, according to a new study. This is the first study to evaluate a vaccine’s effect on naturally occurring fungal and bacterial communities in the gut, known as the microbiome. The vaccine, called NXT-2, could be the first to protect against and potentially treat pathogenic fungal infections.
Vet Med Research Centers News
August 6, 2026
Dr. Chet Joyner Named New Director of the Comparative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program
Dr. Chet Joyner, CVI Assistant Director and Principal Investigator, has become the new director of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine’s Comparative Biomedical Sciences graduate program. With a broad background in training highly successful graduate students, Dr. Joyner is well qualified for the position.
July 29, 2026
European Association for Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology International Congress 2026
Faculty, researchers and students from the UGA SMART Lab represented the CVM at the European Association for Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology International Congress in Thessaloniki, Greece this summer. They delivered 11 oral presentations—the most of any institution at the conference. Dr. Yana Zavros delivered the keynote address highlighting the importance of a One Medicine approach connecting veterinary and human health. Graduate student Hannah Nicholson received the Best Oral Presentation Award in the graduate student and resident category.
June 24, 2026
Dr. Mekala Sundaram Receives $1.99 Million NIH MIRA (R35) Grant for Quantitative Outbreak Modeling
Dr. Mekala Sundaram Awarded $1.99M NIH MIRA Grant Dr. Mekala Sundaram, Assistant Professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, has been awarded a $1.99 million Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) (R35) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The five-year grant will support her lab’s innovative research in quantitative outbreak modeling to better understand and predict infectious disease dynamics. Award Summary: PI: Dr. Mekala Sundaram (Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine) Sponsor: NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences […]