Jessica Gilbertie MS DVM PhD

Dr. Jessica Gilbertie is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Founder of Qentoros. Her academic journey began in Blacksburg over 15 years ago when she received her BS at Virginia Tech and her MS at the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. She then followed her dream of becoming a veterinarian at Iowa State University, where she received her DVM. Thereafter, she completed an equine internship at BW Furlong and Associates before continuing on to a fellowship in comparative orthopedic research at the University of Pennsylvania.

The discovery of BIO-PLY™ started in the laboratory of Dr. Thomas Schaer. While working for Dr. Schaer as a fellow, Dr. Gilbertie pursued the idea that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) could kill bacteria within biofilms. She received a small seed grant from the Raymond Firestone Foundation to chase this idea. The preliminary data she garnered under the direction of Dr. Schaer led to her receiving a Young Investigator Award from the American Quarter Horse Association which she took with her into her doctoral training with Dr. Lauren Schnabel at North Carolina State University. With the help of both Drs. Schaer and Schnabel, Dr. Gilbertie began to perfect PRP and turn it into BIO-PLY™ through rigorous testing and optimization. Her work on BIO-PLY™ awarded her a Morris Animal Foundation Training Fellowship and a Grayson-Jockey Club Elaine and Bertram Klein Career Development Award. The team of Drs. Gilbertie, Schaer and Schnabel also received a Grayson-Jockey Club Foundation to translate their promising in vitro results with BIO-PLY™ to clinical cases of infectious arthritis. Here they found that BIO-PLY™ was not only antibacterial in vivo but also decreased joint inflammation and protected venerable cartilage from damage during infection.

After finishing her PhD, Dr. Gilbertie continued her lifelong love of learning as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Megan Jacob at North Carolina State University. There she started to explore how BIO-PLY™ could cure chronic infections in other species such as dogs. She found that BIO-PLY™ was extremely effective at clearing chronic urinary tract and ear infections in dogs. After her postdoc, Dr. Gilbertie accepted a faculty position at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine where she is working to translate BIO-PLY™ to human medicine while working closely with the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine to continue to explore the use of BIO-PLY™ for the treatment of chronic infections in horses and dogs.

As the Founder, President, and Chief Scientific Officer at Qentoros, Dr. Gilbertie is working to bring BIO-PLY™ to equine veterinarians and horse owners for the treatment of joint infections. Her vision also includes bridging BIO-PLY™ treatment to other species such as dogs, cattle, pigs, and even one day, humans.