A quest to cure canine and human cancer

August 13, 2026

See the full article: https://stories.cals.iastate.edu/2026/08/quest-cure-canine-and-human-cancer

Wes Wierson and Layla — Wes Wierson and his dog, Layla, whose health journey pushed Wierson to start LEAH Labs. Photo contributed.

Wes Wierson, genetics, development and cell biology alum, and his team at LEAH Labs have successfully put pet dogs with lymphoma into remission with a pioneering cell therapy.

The founder and CEO of LEAH Labs, Wierson (‘13 microbiology, ‘18 PhD molecular cellular and developmental biology) is working to cure cancer in dogs. Building on that achievement, the lab is starting a new company, VelociTx, using similar tools to fight cancer in humans.

Find out more about this alum's work in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' STORIES article by Ann Y. Robinson, "A quest to cure canine and human cancer."