Scientist brings computational expertise to veterinary medicine

The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine welcomed a new addition to its research team in 2024: Dr. Rebecca Nance, an assistant scientist with a passion for computational biology and a mission to improve cancer outcomes in both animals and humans.

Nance has hit the ground running, forging strong collaborations with colleagues like Dr. Rowan Milner, a professor of small animal oncology who also serves as director of clinical and translational research at the college, and Dr. Valentina Stevenson, an assistant professor of anatomic pathology whose focus is oncologic diseases. Nance also works closely with UF Small Animal Hospital’s medical oncology residents.

“I met Dr. Milner at an osteosarcoma conference last year as I was finishing up my Ph.D.,” said Nance, whose position is funded by the Laiks Foundation. “He spoke highly of UF, and I knew he was performing extensive research in the canine osteosarcoma field, which I am passionate about.”

Nance obtained a certificate in computational biology during her doctoral program, and that has equipped her to perform various data analyses to gain biological insight into disease.

“Much research from the past 10 years or so has centered around ‘big data,’ which consists of vast amounts of complex information, such as sequencing data, that require specialized computer tools and programs to analyze,” she said. “Computational biology lies somewhere between biology, computer science, and statistics. The real power in being cross-trained in computational biology is the ability to directly analyze the data you generate, which allows you to ask and answer more targeted scientific questions relevant to your research objectives.”

Nance believes the ability to analyze is critical to making scientific discoveries.

Osteosarcoma, a bone tumor, intrigues Nance because of how similar it is in humans and dogs.

“It’s an extremely complex cancer, and despite major breakthroughs in cancer research, the treatment and outcome for osteosarcoma has remain unchanged for over 20 years, for both people and pets,” Nance said. “Interestingly, canine and human osteosarcoma is nearly indistinguishable at the clinical and molecular levels. In humans, it appears primarily in young adolescents, and is actually quite rare. However, in dogs, it occurs much more frequently.”

While that is very unfortunate for man’s best friend, the fact that there are frequent cases of osteosarcoma in dogs provides an opportunity to leverage the canine population to gain insights on the disease, design and test treatment options in a clinical trial, and ultimately improve the outcome for both humans and dogs, she added.

In weekly meetings with her collaborators, Nance’s role focuses on analyzing data using computational tools, facilitating scientific discovery, and advising on experimental planning.

While not directly involved in patient care, Nance is also involved with the hospital’s oncology-related clinical trials.

“My involvement is mostly on the back end,” she said. “I assist with sample collection, biobanking, and analysis of the data generated.” She praised the clinical trials team for their excellent work in patient recruitment and follow-up, which makes it easier for the research to move forward.

“It takes a team,” she said.

Nance has ambitious goals for her time at UF. In the short term, she aims to assist with data analysis for oncology residents’ projects and secure grant funding. Looking further ahead, she hopes to elevate the college’s computational capabilities and proficiency. To this end, she’s teaching a mini-workshop this fall to introduce computational biology concepts in the context of Next-Generation Sequencing.

“I’m hopeful that this will generate more interest and remove the stigma around ‘coding’, which can be quite intimidating at the start,” Nance said.

Her ultimate long-term goal?

“To drastically improve the clinical outcomes for osteosarcoma patients, both dogs and humans,” Nance said, adding with a smile, “however, this might take a little bit more time. Check back on my progress in 20 years or so.”

Nance brings not only expertise but also a realistic understanding of the research process. In 2020, she was featured on a podcast called “Minor Tweak, Major Impact,” where she discussed the various modifications required in one of her research projects.

“I think it’s a great reminder that research is never a straight path,” she reflected. “It requires persistence and a lot of troubleshooting, reading, reflection, and critical thinking.”

With her computational skills, collaborative spirit, and determination to improve cancer outcomes, Nance is poised to make significant contributions to the college and the wider field of veterinary oncology.