Barb Biller

Biography of Investigator:
Dr. Biller is from Lancaster, PA but grew up in the Bay Area in California. After College she worked as a laboratory technician at Genentech in San Francisco. She then attended veterinary school at University of Wisconsin-Madison where she developed her interest in oncology. She credits her previous background in basic immunology research and the clinical oncology service at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with piquing her interest in the specialty of oncology. She completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship at Colorado State University and residency in medical oncology at the University of Illinois – Champaign/Urbana. After 5 years of practice at Denver Veterinary Specialists she returned to CSU to complete a Ph.D. in Immunology because she missed the research and teaching opportunities available in academia. She completed her Ph.D. in April of 2007 and became a faculty member in medical oncology at that time.

Classes Taught/Currently Teaching:
PVM 773 (4 oncology lectures) each Spring, Problem Based Learning course mentor for 3rd year students, and Post-graduate Medicine every other year.

Research Interests/Focus:

• Cancer Immunotherapy/Tumor Vaccines
• Metronomic Chemotherapy
• Combination Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy for Veterinary Cancer Patients

   
Our laboratory is investigating the immunostimulatory potential of chemotherapy drugs, particularly when given in combination with cancer immunotherapeutics.  We are especially interested in the effects of chemotherapy on innate immunity and also on a subset of lymphocytes known as regulatory T cells.  In addition our laboratory is investigating the role of regulatory T cells in dogs with cancer and exploring ways to deplete this cell population using metronomic chemotherapy.

Future Direction:
Develop projects and funding support for the research areas listed above.

Name of Laboratory:
Tumor Immunology (Dow/Biller Lab)

Major Laboratory Equipment:
Our lab is well-equipped for basic research, particularly basic immunology research and flow cytometry. Resources include;

1. 2 refrigerated centrifuges
2. Refrigerated microcentrifuge
3. PCR workstation
4. Gel boxes
5. Refrigerator and freezers (-20 and -80)
6. Computer workstation
7. Laminar flow hood and two CO2 incubators

Shared equipment at the CSU Animal Cancer Center includes;

1. Cyan 9-color high speed flow cytometer
2. Cold and warm rooms
3. ABI 7000 real-time PCR
4. Tissue array facility
5. Light and fluorescence microscopy suite with associated software for digital image analysis

Current Work/Projects:

1. Evaluation of the role of regulatory T cells in dogs with osteosarcoma
2. Effects of chemotherapy on Treg (in both dogs and mice with cancer)
3. Evaluation of the effects of metronomic chemotherapy on immune responses in both dogs and mice

Publications: (Selected)
*Walter CU, *Biller BJ, Lana SE, Bachand AM, Dow SW: Effects of chemotherapy on immune responses in dogs with cancer. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 20(2):342-327, 2006.

U’Ren LW, Biller BJ, Elmslie RE, Thamm DH, Dow SW: Evaluation of a novel tumor vaccine in dogs with hemangiosarcoma. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 21(1):113-120, 2007.

Biller BJ, Elmslie RE, Burnett RC, Avery AC, Dow SW: Use of FoxP3 expression to identify regulatory T cells in healthy dogs and dogs with cancer. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. 116(1-2):69-78, 2007.

Post Doctorates/Graduate Students:
Name: Leah Mitchell, Ph.D.
Email Address: leah.mitchell@colostate.edu
Area of Study: tumor immunology, metronomic chemotherapy/regulatory T cells

Name: Jenna Burton, DVM
Email Address: jenna.burton@colostate.edu
Area of Study: tumor immunology, metronomic chemotherapy/regulatory T cells
Graduation Date: Master’s Degree and Clinical Oncology Residency: completion 7/2011

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