Name: Wenying Zhu

From: China

Degrees and institute where received: B.S. degree from Hangzhou Normal University, China

Wenying Zhu came to the United States to be with her husband and chose to obtain her doctoral degree at the University of Kentucky Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center because of its leading equine research program. Zhu said her time at the Gluck Center was invaluable and taught her how to become an independent researcher.

Zhu’s doctoral research project focused on the evaluation of intra-articular glucocorticoid therapies for equine osteoarthritis. Veterinarians can use intra-articular glucocorticoid (medicines injected directly into a joint) to treat joint inflammation in horses. It effectively relieves pain, swelling, and other signs of joint inflammation. However, glucocorticoid use has also been linked to negative effects on chondrocyte (cells found in cartilage connective tissue) function and cell viability.

“The goal of this study is to generate scientific data to provide a reference for administrating intra-articular glucocorticoid injections in equine practice,” Zhu said. “Results from this study suggest that lower glucocorticoid dose ranges for intra-articular therapy in horses should be validated to maximize the ratio of their therapeutically beneficial anti-inflammatory efficacy against detrimental effects on cell function and viability.”

In her time in the laboratory of James MacLeod, VMD, PhD, John S. and Elizabeth A. Knight chair and professor of veterinary science at the Gluck Equine Research Center, Zhu also worked to identify genes with cartilage-restricted patterns of expression using one of the first equine-specific cDNA microarrays.

After completing her doctoral program, Zhu moved to North Carolina to live with her family. She currently works at the Research Square in Durham and plans to use her education at the Gluck Center to contribute to science and research.

Author: Hannah Forte