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It took Yana Zavros 16 years to receive a diagnosis for a condition known as Cushing’s disease.

Sixteen years of an discouraging ailment that leads to muscle weakness, mood fluctuations, and weight increase, among other effects, due to the patient’s adrenal glands producing an excess amount of the stress hormone cortisol.

When Zavros finally received her diagnosis, she was a distinguished researcher at the University of Arizona, concentrating on gastric and pancreatic cancer. Cushing’s is uncommon in humans, and Zavros was disheartened by the prolonged journey to a diagnosis and that the only available treatments were not tailored to her specific condition.

Then, she recalled that she had the authority to initiate a research program and take action.

“It marked a pivotal moment in how I perceived research and our role as scientists,” she states. “I discovered my calling.”

In autumn 2024, Zavros became the Research Center Director at UGA’s new School of Medicine and the Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Molecular Medicine. Already, she is collaborating with colleagues on campus to uncover new solutions for Cushing’s while continuing her cancer studies.

Zavros is convinced that the key to enhancing diagnosis and treatment for Cushing’s disease in humans initially lies in learning how to treat the disease in dogs through a research methodology called One Health. This principle seeks health solutions extending beyond humans by also considering animal and environmental health. Over the past five years, UGA has committed to the One Health methodology as part of a broader initiative to unite interdisciplinary research teams to address intricate 21st-century challenges.

While Cushing’s is rare in people, the same is not the case for dogs. Approximately 100,000 canines are diagnosed with this hormonal disorder annually. Similar to their human counterparts, dogs afflicted with the disease experience weakness and weight gain. They also lose their fur, develop pot bellies, and may have shortened lifespans.

The shared occurrence of the disease in both humans and canines (which, to clarify, is not contagious) could be crucial in discovering improved treatments or potentially a cure for Cushing’s in both species.

“One Health focuses on the relationships between humans, animals, and our environment,” explains Jon Mochel, head of UGA’s Precision One Health Initiative. “What can we discover about the commonalities of diseases like cancer, or cardiarenal and metabolic disorders, that affect both humans and animals? What factors contribute to disease transmission between animals and humans? What role does the environment play in all of this? And how can we create better conditions to enhance human, veterinary, and environmental health?”

One Health has been implemented at UGA for over ten years, but the concept gained momentum with the introduction of UGA’s Precision One Health Initiative, backed by a hiring initiative in 2021. With UGA’s newly established School of Medicine, UGA stands out as one of 13 universities nationwide with schools of veterinary medicine, human medicine, and agriculture all on a single campus. Along with UGA’s other strengths, ranging from pharmacy and engineering to public policy, law, and business, UGA is poised to make a significant impact.

“By uniting our efforts, we can hasten the discovery of cures and expedite the translation of findings to bedside applications,” stated Jack S. Hu, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at UGA’s One Health Symposium in November.

This multidisciplinary approach is being directed at Cushing’s disease. UGA researchers are striving to comprehend, at a molecular level, the tumors that often lead to the condition. Given that the disease is significantly more prevalent in dogs, researchers are gathering tumor biopsies from canine patients at UGA’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

“From these biopsies,” explains Mochel, also a co-investigator on the Cushing’s project, “we’ve developed mini-tumors in laboratory dishes to screen thousands of molecules in the cells. This method will allow us to identify which medications could be both safe and effective against the disease.”

Researchers aim to tailor optimal treatments for individual canine patients. If the trials treating dogs for Cushing’s prove fruitful, the subsequent step will involve investigating treatments in humans.

The research initiative could also benefit other areas. For instance, Karin Allenspach, a clinician scientist and professor of pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, serves as a co-investigator on the Cushing’s study, contributing to the development of mini-tumors known as organoids, which act as three-dimensional models of affected tissues. These organoids can further assist in cancer research by enabling faster drug trials and identifying which drugs should be evaluated in clinical trials. If successful, this method has the potential to provide improved treatments to patients more swiftly and economically.

UGA’s Precision One Health Initiative is just beginning, but there is already a momentum building toward achieving a significant effect.

“We have the resources, expertise, and talent to advance this field,” states Mochel. “Our next objective is to efficiently transition these initiatives from the laboratory to the patient’s bedside.”

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