{"id":7268,"date":"2025-10-16T21:14:54","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T21:14:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/7268\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T21:14:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T21:14:54","slug":"texas-tech-school-of-veterinary-medicine-associate-dean-collects-cells-for-research-october-2025-texas-tech-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/7268\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine Associate Dean Collects Cells for Research | October 2025 | Texas Tech Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Annelise Nguyen has stashes of Legos and Mini Coopers, but it\u2019s the contents of her
\n laboratory that are helping make a difference for both animals and humans alike.<\/p>\n

\t\tCREATORS<\/p>\n

\"Portrait
\n\"Portrait<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s a miniature Mini Cooper zipping down the hallways of Texas Tech University<\/a>\u2019s School of Veterinary Medicine<\/a>, there\u2019s no doubt Thu Annelise Nguyen<\/a> holds the controller. She\u2019s just keeping the pep in her step as the associate dean
\n for research and a professor of toxicology.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The motorized toy is one of many models of her favorite vehicle featured in her office
\n that brings her own personal flair to the room, brightening it in the process. The
\n door remains open and inviting to the plethora of young minds and colleagues who seek
\n out her expertise and mentorship on a weekly basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also featured are an assortment of vibrant Lego assemblies \u2013 mainly bouquet arrangements
\n \u2013 but none near as complex as the structure just outside in the hallway.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Using the miniature blocks and her gift for engineering, her initial major in college,
\n Annelise constructed a to-scale replica of the School of Veterinary Medicine building
\n with such fine attention to detail that students, faculty, staff and plenty of animals
\n are featured throughout the hallways, rooms and foyers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TTU\"TTU\"TTUPhoto Courtesy: Weston Brooks<\/p>\n

She did this not only as a pastime, but to reference during frequent community tours
\n she leads. It\u2019s an extra initiative for the cancer researcher, but Annelise is determined
\n not to let the white lab coat she wears cloak who she is and what she does.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBiology is a lot of memorization, but engineering is so deep and I just love it,\u201d
\n she explained of her skillsets. \u201cI analyze three dimensionally and that\u2019s a skill
\n needed in this challenging world that not everyone has. So, I continue down the path
\n with my engineering mind, and that\u2019s why I think I advance so well in toxicology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Annelise is all smiles on the outside but is tenacious when it comes to seeking out
\n vulnerabilities within cancer cells as proven by her early career work at Kansas State
\n University. Starting in 2001, she dedicated 10 years to understanding unique traits
\n of breast cancer cells so she could design anti-cancer drugs. She patented the molecules
\n she formed alongside a chemist and sold them commercially, working with her students
\n each step of the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AnneliseAnnelise Nguyen <\/p>\n

\u201cI am constantly thinking about unmet needs and trying to solve a problem, so I try
\n to influence my students with that energy and love for science,\u201d she said. \u201cSome of
\n them have never had anyone motivate them to go beyond understanding how an organism
\n works to think about its place in society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her next venture started in 2015, when Annelise began to prioritize precision medicine
\n and developed ex-vivo tumor organoids to evaluate anticancer drugs. This required
\n her to recreate a tumor outside of the body that would undergo tests so the patient
\n could learn the most effective treatment option for them. That technology is also
\n patented and commercially available. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Afterwards, Annelise considered a switch from academia to climbing the ranks of the
\n corporate ladder. She pursued this route and received offers for director positions
\n with Boehringer Ingelheim and the National Cancer Institute.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was truly a moment where I had to consider giving up the whole career of being
\n trained and nurtured to be a professor,\u201d she recalled. \u201cThe students would disappear
\n once I signed that contract.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But then she began to be recruited by Texas Tech\u2019s School of Veterinary Medicine in
\n 2020 \u2013 offering her a chance to further engage with pupils.<\/p>\n

It would mean a big move for Annelise and her husband Michael Tran, a podiatrist with
\n a private practice for 20 years. They both started as engineering majors at Texas
\n A&M University before switching into the field of biology, pouring their energy into
\n helping others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Annelise\u2019s case, the students she has mentored have felt like her own kids in a
\n way as she has aided in their growth and development.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so excited and am a cheerleader for them,\u201d she said. \u201cNot everyone has that kind
\n of personality because they have their own kids and they can only devote a certain
\n number of hours to their job. I don\u2019t see this as an 8-to-5 kind of job, but part
\n of my life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The couple determined that returning to their home state where she understands students\u2019
\n educational backgrounds would just make sense. Even though joining Texas Tech would
\n require leaving a stable job to help build a program from the ground level, there
\n was a draw in comparison to her corporate offers: she felt not only valued but truly
\n needed by the School of Veterinary Medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cFive years ago when Annelise told us she would join our new program, we knew she
\n would contribute something truly special to our school and to all of Texas Tech,\u201d
\n said School of Veterinary Medicine Dean Guy H. Loneragan<\/a>. \u201cBut it turned out we got something far more special. Annelise has been transformative,
\n inspirational, and above all else, someone who is able to achieve great things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ode to Obi\u00a0<\/p>\n

The most exciting aspect of Annelise\u2019s new gig would be transitioning what she learned
\n with human research to veterinary medicine. Her first project was personal, involving
\n a furry family member named Obi-Wan Kenobi.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This fluffy feline went everywhere with Annelise and Michael, curled up behind the
\n driver\u2019s seat of their car. His happy-go-lucky nature somehow mimicked Annelise\u2019s
\n own personality as he seized each day, whether that was by going full Godzilla mode
\n on her latest Lego cities or curling up in a suitcase to ensure he made the trip.
\n \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, it was rather alarming when Obi-Wan wouldn\u2019t come out from underneath the bed.
\n Not even dinner or his favorite laser light were effective lures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was crying out in pain, and an X-ray confirmed why.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had tumors all over, from the kidneys to everywhere,\u201d Annelise recounted. \u201cIt
\n had metastasized all over.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was too late to save Obi-Wan. Annelise and Michael had to say goodbye to the shelter
\n cat rescue turned precious pet after more than seven years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Annelise<\/p>\n

As a cancer scientist, Annelise was positioned to help cats suffering from similar
\n conditions knowing this entire species is prone to kidney disease. She collected samples
\n of Obi-Wan\u2019s tumors and moved them with her to Amarillo. \u00a0<\/p>\n

In her new lab space in the School of Veterinary Medicine, she isolated the first
\n feline kidney carcinoma cells in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt happened to be in our hands, so I thought, \u2018Let\u2019s do something about it,\u2019\u201d Annelise
\n said of the feat.<\/p>\n

This was an anomaly because typically by the time cancer-stricken and diseased pets
\n reach researchers they are already degraded or have received rounds of chemotherapy
\n drugs that have killed the live cancer cells.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Annelise took her rare findings to the Innovation Hub at Research Park<\/a> to gain support needed to make the cell line become commercially available. In an
\n ode to Obi-Wan, she named them \u201cObi cells.\u201d<\/p>\n

Researchers who access Obi cells can use them to perform tests and determine answers
\n about the disease. As for herself, Annelise has purchased anti-cancer drugs to see
\n which treatment effectively stops the cancer cell growth \u2013 an option she wishes could\u2019ve
\n saved sweet Obi.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Annelise<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have plenty of drugs out there, so I\u2019m just going to refurbish those drugs for
\n a cat cancer,\u201d she said. \u201cIf I can find a vulnerability or specific signal just for
\n cancer, then I can design a drug that is targeting that population and not normal
\n cells.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is an example of how Annelise invites students to think critically outside of
\n the classroom, pushing the School of Veterinary Medicine\u2019s teaching mission to not
\n only educate but discover.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not doing our students any good if we don\u2019t provide them with opportunities,\u201d
\n she noted. \u201cWe can produce great veterinarians, hands down, but a few of them want
\n to exceed beyond being a vet at a local clinic, and if we don\u2019t invest in those small
\n populations, then we are behind. So that\u2019s what I\u2019m doing, and that was my task on
\n day one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Revitalizing Research<\/p>\n

Annelise channeled her work ethic to compile research opportunities for students before
\n they were even enrolled her first year with the School of Veterinary Medicine. This
\n required calls to several local veterinary clinics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI told the clinics, \u2018If you have patients coming in and the owner decides not to
\n do chemotherapy and does a surgery removal, then call me. I can be at your clinic
\n in 30 minutes,\u2019\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The cancer scientist received many of these calls and collected samples she stored
\n in her laboratory. To date she has about 100 human and animal cell lines she refers
\n to as \u201ctools\u201d in her freezer room.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Annelise<\/p>\n

In addition to applying her comparative medicine knowledge to feline work she can
\n offer with Obi cells, Annelise applied her breast cancer findings to canine mammary
\n tumors in search of more effective drug options that can attack cancer cells when
\n there are no estrogen receptors to target.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another opportunity with canine research presented itself last year following one
\n of the professor\u2019s toxicology lessons. One of her students, who is interested in orthopedic
\n small animal surgery, visited her during office hours to ask if she had a project
\n that would help him become more competitive for a residency program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When she asked what the student was specifically interested in, he said osteosarcoma,
\n a type of bone cancer his veterinarian father frequently treats in dog and cat patients.
\n Annelise lit up even more than usual, because she just so happened to have a sample
\n of canine osteosarcoma that she invited him to test with the anticancer drugs she
\n purchased for her Obi cells project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI just love when a student comes to me and has a specific thing they\u2019re excited about,
\n so the energy is already there,\u201d she shared. \u201cHis mentor is really excited that they
\n have a student who went off to the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine who is
\n going to be involved in a project that might have drug discovery that will eventually
\n feed back into the clinic. That\u2019s why I think I brought along invaluable resources
\n that added to the Texas Tech portfolio.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Annelise<\/p>\n

Leadership within the School of Veterinary Medicine noticed how important Annelise\u2019s
\n contributions were \u2013 and fast. Just one year after her arrival, the research and innovation
\n enterprise needed a leader and a national search commenced.<\/p>\n

But they didn\u2019t have to look far. The ideal candidate was there all along: Annelise.
\n This role would require her to support and promote research, scholarship and creative
\n activities for faculty and students while still maintaining and contributing to the
\n school\u2019s research portfolio in cancer research.<\/p>\n

Annelise began to channel her \u201cMartha Stewart\u201d lab organization skills to form layouts
\n and systems that allows researchers to work smarter, not harder. The labs were even
\n designed with windows to open researchers to the occasional passerby and potential
\n engagement opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI spend most of my time with faculty,\u201d she explained of the role change. \u201cI manage
\n how they conduct research, assign research labs and get all the research dollars they
\n need to maintain their equipment. Helping them is what keeps me up at night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organizing One Health<\/p>\n

Annelise would get more chances for student interactions as she was tasked to create
\n the One Health Sciences doctoral program due to her deep understanding of how research
\n can benefit human, animal and ecosystem health interconnectedly. This degree needed
\n to align with the current demand for an interdisciplinary and interprofessional approach
\n to improve public health on not just a local but global level, which required a lot
\n of homework for Annelise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is not my expertise \u2013 I\u2019m a cancer researcher,\u201d she exclaimed. \u201cBut I think
\n that I\u2019m the right person to make things happen, so I was excited to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the program was assembled and approved, Annelise had to sell her creation to
\n graduates based on trust alone. She was able to get 25 students to commit by emphasizing
\n while the program was new, the faculty involved packed impressive backgrounds and
\n experiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Annelise<\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to stay with the program to make sure that the students settled,\u201d she
\n said. \u201cI felt like I needed to not only play a role in implementation but also stability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fourth-year One Health Sciences<\/a> doctoral student Tomas Lugo was one of those who not only believed Annelise but also
\n wanted to work with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tomas is a three-time Texas Tech student and the first of his family to attend college.
\n He earned a bachelor\u2019s in biology with a minor in chemistry and then attended the
\n Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center<\/a> and earned a molecular pathology degree.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was already working in medical centers but decided he wanted to pursue more research
\n opportunities that would integrate human and animal medicine. Annelise\u2019s offer was
\n the perfect match for his ambitions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before Tomas joined her lab work, she dedicated two weeks to training him from 8 a.m.
\n to 5 p.m., a commitment she has learned empowers her students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I teach them all the tools they need for their project, then they are independent,\u201d
\n she shared. \u201cThey go from understanding why we do the way we do it to asking the critical
\n questions for the project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the use of Annelise\u2019s ex-vivo tumor organoids, the duo began to use the technology
\n to see if they could provide individualized precision medicine for colorectal cancer
\n by partnering with BSA Harrington Cancer Center in Amarillo.<\/p>\n

This gave Tomas the unique opportunity to provide hope to patients as they undergo
\n cancer treatment; that one day they may not have to be the guinea pig of trial and
\n error.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Annelise is a really great mentor,\u201d he commends. \u201cShe helps me understand the
\n nuance of research and is also very stringent on how to do things, which has helped
\n me become a better scientist. One of the big things she always tells me is to try
\n the opportunity, and even if you fail, there\u2019s something to learn from it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tomas also observed how Annelise seizes the moment as she collected a sample from
\n a horse who was taken to the School of Veterinary Medicine after it died from an autoimmune
\n disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Annelise<\/p>\n

She took it directly upstairs to her laboratory, where she was able to propagate live
\n cells and grow them. When she checked, just like in the case of Obi-Wan, there appeared
\n to be no cell lines of this kind in the commercial directory. She and Tomas ensured
\n that changed, and researchers can now access the cells through Applied Biological
\n Materials.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very cool to see my hard work actually produce a product to help further the
\n field,\u201d Tomas remembered.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Annelise encouraged Tomas to take the science even further by comparing the genomic
\n DNA of the diseased horse to that of a healthy one. The data uncovered by the sequencing
\n revealed thousands of mutations that could be traced to discover the cause of the
\n disease, which could then be tested for a treatment option. She would then see about
\n applying those findings to human autoimmune diseases. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The potential of this project spread rapidly through the halls of the School of Veterinary
\n Medicine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents knock on my door and ask, \u2018Can I work for you on this project?\u2019\u201d Annelise
\n said. \u201cTheir horse on their ranch might have this disease as well, and now they can
\n learn about it from the molecular cell level.\u201d<\/p>\n

The payoff of involvement in Annelise\u2019s laboratory is a strong resume, which has enabled
\n Tomas to weigh job offers that include a position with MD Anderson Cancer Center (where
\n he hopes to be a principal scientist one day). The rest of his inaugural One Health
\n Science classmates also have secured job offers, proving their blind trust in Annelise\u2019s
\n new program was well worth the risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She even exceeded expectations on her other task to establish the school\u2019s research
\n and innovation by creating student experiences beyond the classroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to her own research, discovery and intellectual property advances, Annelise
\n has established a vibrant research enterprise at the school and brings together graduate
\n students, professional veterinary staff and faculty to do great things,\u201d Loneragan
\n said. \u201cHer contributions are extraordinary and will leave a lasting impact on our
\n school and across Texas Tech and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Annelise<\/p>\n

Annelise has seen firsthand how her role is impacting the future of academia by keeping
\n in close contact with her former students at various conferences and online.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s funny \u2013 my mentors and students have their own students they will send to me,\u201d
\n she said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s like a different generation. Only in academia do we have that
\n opportunity to see students\u2019 connections.\u201d<\/p>\n

She keeps this in mind as a supervisor, creating a high standard in which students
\n can gauge their careers, or an example for them to follow as they lead their own laboratories.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many of Annelise\u2019s former students don\u2019t realize her positive reinforcement methods
\n have spoiled them until their next role.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey call me back and tell me they have a different type of boss or supervisor who
\n is disoriented or not appreciative or understanding,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m so glad I exposed
\n them to an environment that they\u2019ll have to adjust and look for something that matches
\n their expectations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Annelise has sat in their seats before and knows how vital mentorship and building
\n credentials are, along with accountability. This is why she is so open to sharing
\n her experience and research projects with her colleagues and students.<\/p>\n

She does this all with a smile from her corner office \u2013 the secret to happiness not
\n just Lego art or decompression laps with a motorized Mini Cooper, but the satisfaction
\n of meeting a purpose.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s where my personality comes from; I\u2019m getting paid to do something
\n that I love and it\u2019s a blessing,\u201d she stated. \u201cI never imagined I\u2019d be where I am
\n right now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Annelise Nguyen has stashes of Legos and Mini Coopers, but it\u2019s the contents of her laboratory that are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7269,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":["post-7268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lubbock","tag-lubbock","tag-lubbock-headlines","tag-lubbock-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}