About Crystal Montoya
Crystal Montoya is in her third year of Ph.D. work in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology at Washington State University, studying in Dr. Stephen Hines’ laboratory. Her examination of the differences in immune systems of young and old horses promises insights toward treating diseases that affect animals as well as humans, especially infants and people with weak immune systems. The long-term goal of her research is to develop a vaccine that will make young horses less susceptible to Rhodococcus equi, a bacterium related to the pathogen that causes tuberculosis in humans. The success of her work could open new avenues for combating Mycobacterium tuberculosis, especially important, Montoya says, “because it currently infects 33 percent of people worldwide, with a new infection occurring every second.”
Montoya graduated from Whitworth University with a bachelor’s of science degree in biology, a bachelor’s of arts in chemistry, and a minor in biochemistry. As an undergraduate, she co-authored “The biological fuel cell” published in The American Biology Teacher. She plans to expand her research to include studies of the transmission and invasion of emerging infectious diseases in hopes of developing new vaccines and antibodies.
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