Aryana Razmara, a fourth-year dual-degree student (DVM and PhD) at UC Davis, is one of five national recipients of a prestigious American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)/American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) 2nd Opportunity Research Award for her work in veterinary medical research. The AVMA/AVMF offers this annual award to veterinary students who are making contributions to the veterinary profession through accomplishments in research. 

Presented by AVMA/AVMF, the 2nd Opportunity Summer Research Scholarship supports veterinary students who have previously conducted a summer research project and are seeking to gain a second summer of research experience. The award involves a $5,000 scholarship and a $1,000 stipend to attend the AVMA National Scholars Symposium.

"I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue our research in the Canter Lab focusing on NK based cancer immunotherapy which will support my training as a future veterinary scientist," states Razmara.

Razmara will use the funds to continue her research in Comparative Oncology and canine immunotherapy, an investigation she has undertaken as part of her PhD studies in the laboratory of Robert Canter, MD, Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology.  The Canter lab has a strong focus on multi-species models for natural killer (NK) cell immunotherapy, including adoptive therapy in dogs with spontaneous cancers and murine models of solid tumors. The Canter lab research team is one of a select group of labs internationally who are studying dog NK cells, and they have completed a first-in-dog clinical trial of palliative radiation with intra-tumoral NK cell transfer for dog with naturally-occurring osteosarcoma. Their research also examines further characterization of the activating and inhibitory receptors of NK cells as part of a multi-species evaluation of optimizing NK cancer immunotherapy, and they are broadening their dog canine immunotherapy comparative oncology clinical trials with other novel immune agents.

“This award is an impressive and well-deserved acknowledgment of Aryana’s dedication to comparative research," said Dr. Robert Canter. "Her outstanding work ethic and keen research mentality will undoubtedly enable her to capitalize on this opportunity and make meaningful contributions to the exciting work taking place in our lab.”