Canine and feline ocular surface disease histopathology: insights into pathogenesis.
The term Ocular Surface System (OSS) refers to all those structures, namely the cornea, conjunctiva, lacrimal glands, tear film, and conjunctival-associated lymphoid tissue (CALT), whose delicate interaction ensures the maintenance of corneal transparency and clear vision.
OSS diseases are a significant global health concern, impact significantly on human and animal health, and can lead to long-life, often expensive, always time-consuming therapies.
The project will be aimed to study the etiopathogenesis of OSS diseases in the canine and feline species with special emphasis on their correlation with environmental, pharmaceutical, and infective predisposing factors and with coexistent tear film abnormality (lacrimal and meibomian gland pathologies).
Investigations will focus specifically on dysfunctions of lacrimal and meibomian glands, corneal carcinoma and corneal sequestrum. Histopathology, immunohistochemistry, in-situ hybridization will be applied to achieve this aim.
The first part of the project will characterise the role that keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) plays in the brachycephalic ocular syndrome (BOS) by histologically and immunohistochemically assessing pathological changes in nictitans lacrimal gland (NLG) and in the recently described accessory lacrimal glands (ALG) and comparing the same findings in KCS affected and healthy non brachycephalic dogs.
This contribution is expected to clarify part of the complex pathogenesis of KCS and enhance information regarding the possible use of canine models for human dry eye disease (DED).
VMD graduated with honour at University of Milan (UNIMI).
Thesis on the pathological changes in dog and cat peri-anaesthesiologic death.
Fellow researcher as digital pathologist at The Janssen Pharmaceutical of Johnson and Johson.
Member of the Wildlife Health Lab (WHL) (UNIMI).
Fellow researcher in the PRIN project “Validation of primary 3D culture systems of canine spontaneous tumors as in
vitro model for the study of cancer phenotype, genotype and metabolism” (UNIMI).
Deeply interested in digital pathology and AI techniques applied to pathology.
In love with comparative pathology especially of exotic animals, unconventional pets and wild life.
Publications: Orcid
Supervisor Prof. Chiara Giudice
Co-supervisor Prof. Paola Roccabianca
