Lab Members

Current Lab Members

Christopher L. Mariani, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Neurology)

Dr. Mariani is the principal investigator and director of the Comparative Neuroimmunology and Neurooncology Laboratory (CNNL).  He is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery in the Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University (NCSU-CVM).  Dr. Mariani received his DVM degree from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph.  Following a rotating internship in small animal medicine, surgery, and critical care and a year in general small animal practice, he began a residency in neurology and neurosurgery at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida.  After completion of the residency, Dr. Mariani began graduate work at the College of Medicine, University of Florida, studying nonspecific immunotherapy in a model of glioblastoma multiforme.  His PhD degree was awarded in 2006 by the Department of Neuroscience.  Dr. Mariani is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Neurology subspecialty, and sees referral patients at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at North Carolina State University.

Laura Ruterbories, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (LAM)

Laura is the lab manager and a research specialist in the CNNL.  She received her bachelor’s of science from NCSU in 2011, followed by her associate’s degree in veterinary technology in 2014.  She is a registered veterinary technician, registered laboratory animal technologist and one of a small number of veterinary technician specialists in laboratory animal medicine.

Ale Mondino-Vero, DVM

Ale completed her veterinary training in Uruguay and is currently a neurology intern at NCSU. She is investigating factors involved in the development of peritumoral edema in canine meningiomas.

Lab Alumni

Julianna C. Mannix (Sabol), VMD

Dr. Sabol received her undergraduate degree from Clemson University, and her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania.  After graduation, she completed both a rotating small animal internship and specialty internships in neurology. and subsequently a neurology residency at NCSU.  She is currently a veterinary neurologist in private practice. Julianna worked on assessment of safe surgical corridors for canine spinal surgery.

Gregory A. Krane, DVM, DACVP (Anatomic Pathology)

Dr. Krane received his undergraduate degree from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and his veterinary degree from Tufts University.  He completed his PhD degree as part of a joint program between the NCSU Comparative Biomedical Sciences and National Toxicology Programs at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park.  Greg’s dissertation focused on the immunopathology and diagnostic immunohistochemistry of canine glioma.  He is currently a pathologist at Moderna.

Brittani Rainess, BS

Brittani received her bachelor’s degree from NCSU and is currently a veterinary student at the NCSU-CVM.  She investigated factors involved in the development of peritumoral edema in canine meningiomas.

Lauren Green, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)

Dr. Green worked in the CNNL while a neurology resident at the NCSU-CVM from 2017-2020.  Prior to that she completed a rotating small animal internship at The Ohio State University after obtaining her veterinary degree from Tufts University.  She is currently a veterinary neurologist in private practice.  Lauren investigated the role of serum and CSF biomarkers for diagnosis and determining prognosis in dogs with encephalitis.

Carolyn Nye, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)

Dr. Nye first worked in the CNNL while a veterinary student at Ross University in 2013, through the Merial Veterinary Scholars program.  She continued this work in her senior clinical year at NCSU and as a small animal intern at NCSU-CVM.  After leaving NCSU, she pursued a neurology residency at The Ohio State University and she is now in private specialty practice in Florida.  Her work focused on the validation of lactate testing in canine blood and CSF and its utility as a biomarker for dogs with a variety of central nervous system disorders.

Mitchell Martin

Mitch was a research associate in the CNNL while an undergraduate student at NCSU.  He came to the lab through the competitive Summer Interdisciplinary Research Initiative (SIRI), a program run by the Comparative Medicine Institute at NCSU.  His work focused on the immune response and immune suppression in intracranial canine gliomas.

Alicia Braxton, DVM

Dr. Braxton was a research assistant in the CNNL while an undergraduate and subsequently a veterinary student at NCSU. After graduating, she pursued a combined residency and PhD program in laboratory animal medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and she is currently an assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina.  Her work involved the detection of matrix metalloproteinases within the cerebrospinal fluid and urine of dogs with brain tumors and other cancers.  

Ricki Kirsch, DVM

Dr. Kirsch was a rotating intern in small animal medicine and surgery at the NCSU-CVM and a member of the CNNL from 2010-2011.  She investigated the utility of acute phase proteins  as biomarkers of disease in dogs with inflammatory brain and spinal cord disorders.

Lindsay Boozer, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)

Dr. Boozer was a research fellow at the CNNL from 2009-2010.  She received her DVM degree from the University of Georgia, followed by a rotating small animal internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital.  After her year with us, Dr. Boozer completed a residency in neurology at the University of Georgia CVM and is currently in private specialty practice in the Washington D.C. region.  While at the CNNL, she studied the immune response to central nervous system tumors in canine patients.

Zachary Niman, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)

Dr. Niman is a former resident in neurology at the NCSU-CVM and was a member of the CNNL from 2007-2010.  He received his DVM degree from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, followed by a rotating small animal internship at the Animal Emergency Referral Center (AERC) outside of Chicago, Illinois and subsequently completed a specialized neurology internship at the AERC.  Dr. Niman is currently in specialty practice in the Chicago area.  His research involved the evaluation of biomarkers in serum and cerebrospinal fluid for the diagnosis and monitoring of veterinary patients with central nervous system tumors and meningoencephalitis.  

Summer Students

Chris Ponticello

Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholar, Summer 2022.  Aaron is currently a veterinary student at NCSU. He continued the work in patient-specific, 3-D printed drill guides for spinal surgery in dogs, focusing on the cervical spine.

Aaron Fuelling, DVM

Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholar, Summer 2019.  Aaron is currently a veterinarian in private practice. He continued the work in patient-specific, 3-D printed drill guides for spinal surgery in dogs, focusing on the lumbar spine.

Irina Perdew, DVM

Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholar, Summer 2018.  Irina is currently a veterinarian and co-founder of Vetletics, an animal health company. Her research focused on identifying novel mutations in canine intracranial gliomas.

Clarethra Anderson

Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholar, Summer 2018.  Re is currently a veterinary student at the NCSU-CVM. Her research focused on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases in the CSF from dogs with brain tumors and meningoencephalitis.

Joshua Zlotnick, DVM

Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholar, Summer 2017.  Dr. Zlotnick was a veterinary student at the NCSU-CVM while working in the CNNL. He continued the work in patient-specific, 3-D printed drill guides for spinal surgery in dogs, focusing on the thoracic spine.

Ashley Gavitt, DVM

Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholar, Summer 2016.  Dr. Gavitt was a veterinary student at the NCSU-CVM while working in the CNNL. She continued the work in patient-specific, 3-D printed drill guides for spinal surgery in dogs, focusing on the cervical spine.

Kristin Malinak, DVM

Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholar, Summer 2015.  Dr. Malinak was a veterinary student at the NCSU-CVM while working in the CNNL. She initiated our project investigating patient-specific, 3-D printed drill guides for spinal surgery in dogs.

Kathleen Bedard, DVM

Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholar, Summer 2011.  Dr. Bedard was a veterinary student at the NCSU-CVM while working in the CNNL. Her research focused on the role of proliferating immune cells in canine meningoencephalitis and the efficacy of cytosine arabinoside, a popular immunosuppressive drug, in interfering with this proliferation.

Makenna Cash, DVM

Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholar, Summer 2010. Dr. Cash was a veterinary student at the NCSU-CVM while working in the CNNL. Her research focused on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases in canine brain tumors.

Katie Wright (Zseltvay), DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)

Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholar, Summer 2010. Dr. Wright was a veterinary student at Oklahoma State University while working in the CNNL.  Her research focused on the characterization of lymphocyte and macrophage populations within canine brain brain tumors.

Treyvon Davis, DVM

Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholar, Summer 2008. Dr. Davis was a veterinary student at the NCSU-CVM while working in the CNNL.  His research focused on the characterization of lymphocyte and macrophage populations within canine brain tumors.

Alexander Reynolds, PhD

Dr. Reynolds was a summer research intern in the CNNL during Summer 2008, while an undergraduate student at Cornell University.  After graduating from Cornell, he pursued his graduate degree in Immunology at Duke University and is now in private industry.  His research focused on the characterization of immune cell populations within brain lesions in dogs with granulomatous meningoencephalitis.  Alex won the award for the best research presentation based on his research at the NCSU Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium.