Gerlinde Van de Walle

Professor and Chair of Veterinary Pathobiology

Biography

Background

Gerlinde Van de Walle received her DVM degree from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium, followed by a PhD from the same institution. In 2013, she accepted a position as Assistant Professor at the Baker Institute for Animal Health, Cornell University, where she ran her research lab working in the fields of Virology and Stem Cell Biology. She was promoted to Full Professor in 2023 and served as Interim Director of the Baker Institute from 2022 till 2024. During her tenure at Cornell, she received the Zoetis Animal Health Award for Research Excellence, the Excellence in Teaching Award for Outstanding Teaching in Veterinary Medicine and the SUNY Chancellors Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities.

As the new head of the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, I aim to provide a critical link between the basic and clinical sciences where our department promotes research that will ultimately lead to better diagnosis, control and prevention of animal and human diseases, and provides residency training for the next generation of clinician-scientists.

Research summary

By increasing our understanding on the pathogenesis of diseases important to livestock and companion animals, the Van de Walle lab aims to open up new avenues towards preventative and therapeutic interventions. The lab develops and uses various model systems from these species, including in vitro 2D cell cultures, ex vivo 3D explant and organoid models, and in vivo animal models.

Current research interests

Viral pathogenesis: Many veterinary species are naturally susceptible to pathogens closely related to those that infect humans. Since these animal and human pathogens frequently share similar pathogenesis profiles, certain animal diseases are considered translational models for their human counterparts. Viruses we currently study are herpesviruses (feline, equine), parvoviruses (equine) and coronaviruses (feline). ---- Stem cell biology: Our research group studies both the basic physiology and therapeutic potential of adult stem cells from livestock, companion animals, and wildlife. Stem cells secrete a collection of bioactive factors, referred to as “the secretome”, which represents a rich source of molecules with regenerative, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial and anticancer potential. We also use induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) from various animals to create organoid models that can be used for infectious disease research, especially to study those pathogens for which no susceptible 2D cell cultures are available.
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