Braden Hanson’s road to a PhD started in a rather unconventional manner. After completing his Bachelor of Science in Biology, he received a job offer for a lab technician position at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) to work alongside assistant professor Dr. Sarguru Subash.
Upon completing his work contract, Hanson decided to stay on – but as a graduate student pursuing a doctorate in Biomedical Sciences (BIMS). As the VMBS is known for its focus on animal and human health through transformational education, research, and innovation, he saw it as the perfect place to continue his research.
“It was the right place and right time for me,” says Hanson. “I was already settled in College Station, and after the discussion with Dr. Sarguru Subash, I didn’t feel the need to search further. I felt like I had already found the lab I belonged in to develop my scientific career.”
Today, he’s working on his PhD, once again under Dr. Subash’s guidance. Intrigued by antimicrobial resistance, one of the top global public health and development threats, Hanson is focusing his research on identifying a small, copper-dependent molecule that inhibits the growth of various uropathogens that result in conditions such as urinary tract infections (UTI).
“UTIs are non-specific to humans and are one of the top causes for prescribed antibiotics, indirectly contributing to the global health challenge of antimicrobial resistance,” says Hanson. “Both domesticated and livestock animals are susceptible to contracting this infection. Our research highlights the importance of treating medicine and science from the One Health approach.”
One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that recognises the interdependent link between human, animal, and environmental health and aims to balance and optimise this ecosystem sustainably.
Hanson’s work is just one example of the transformational, translational research underway at Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. While many assume from the name that the college only specialises in veterinary clinical research, there is also a lot of translational research done here that benefits human and environmental health.
Dr. Subash, who’s overseeing Hanson’s research, is an expert in studying UTIs. Together with his team, they are developing a host-directed therapy for the condition. His lab created an engineered living material (ELM) – a hydrogel filled with living bacteria that floats in the bladder to treat infections.
Dr. Porter (right) is also part of the Center of Excellence in Cancer Research at Texas A&M. Source: Texas A&M University
Another example of impactful translational research is Dr. Weston Porter, a fellow professor of Dr. Subash. He received a $3.3 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health to explore how SEMA7A and SIM2 molecules affect drug resistance in postpartum breast cancers, with potential for new therapies. His other notable contributions include leading the Texas A&M Center for Environmental Health Research (TiCER) in four areas: climate change and health, environment and metabolism, environmental justice and policy, and environmental stressors and their responses.
Professor Michael Golding is examining the effects of paternal alcohol consumption on fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). His groundbreaking work challenges conventional ideas by investigating paternal alcohol consumption’s impact on fetal development. However, when he first questioned if a father’s drinking habits affected the development of the fetus, he was met with some pushback.
“I would get comments back on my grants, such as ’Why are we doing this? Fetal alcohol syndrome is the woman’s fault,’” says Dr. Golding. “They were just of the mind that this is not something that should be investigated.”

Dr. Dawson (left) sets up her lectures as a journey through the experimental history of regeneration and development. Source: Texas A&M University
This spirit of challenging norms drives innovation here at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.
In another example, Assistant Professor Lindsay A. Dawson is taking on the seemingly impossible – inducing human limb generation. Her research explores wound repair and regeneration following injury, which began during her postdoctoral work on bone and joint regeneration.
“Interestingly, humans have the capacity to regenerate the distal-most part of the finger upon traumatic injury,” she says. “Studies in my lab provide a proof-of-concept that supports the feasibility of induced human limb regeneration.”
Alongside Dr. Golding, she teaches a graduate course on Development and Regeneration, covering key developmental biology concepts and their links to regeneration. The final assignment has a twist – she encourages students to connect their research by delivering a mini-lecture on the development and regeneration of a tissue, organ, or animal of their choice.
“We’ve had lectures on horse articular cartilage regeneration, human tongue regeneration – no joke! – deer antler regeneration, and more,” says Dr. Dawson. “My hope is that by constantly thinking about the lectures as a series of questions and experiments, rather than just fleeting information, the students will take this same approach in their respective fields.”
Teaching and research at the VMBS are tightly intertwined. The collaborative environment plays an essential role in Dr. Dawson’s research, allowing her to expand her research into areas such as Down syndrome bone health and the effects of diabetes on bone regeneration.
“I have also had the opportunity to collaborate with mathematicians and data scientists here, which has wholeheartedly strengthened my research,” she says. “I am immensely grateful – I’m having a blast, and I believe the students are, too.”
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