Sita Withers
School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
College of Science
After graduating with a veterinary degree from the University of Melbourne in 2008, Sita practiced in a mixed animal clinic in Far North Queensland for a year. She then returned to Melbourne to pursue a small animal internship, and subsequently moved to California to undertake a medical oncology residency at the University of California Davis (UC Davis). She became a board-certified Veterinary Medical Oncologist (DACVIM(Onc)) in August, 2014. During her residency, she developed a keen interest in cancer research, which prompted her to stay on at UC Davis to pursue a PhD in Integrative Pathobiology. This experience enabled her to develop knowledge and skills in pathology, immunology, molecular biology, and flow cytometry. She then joined Louisiana State University (LSU) as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Medical Oncology in November, 2018. Her lab was primarily funded through National Institutes of Health grants and in the clinic, she oversaw the establishment and expansion of a residency training program to train up new Veterinary Medical Oncology specialists. She decided to return to Australia after five years at LSU and is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Adelaide.When she's not at work she enjoys hoarding plants, jogging, swimming, practicing yoga, traveling and hanging out with her two dogs and two cats.
The Withers Lab studies naturally occurring cancers in pet dogs to develop a deeper understanding of canine and human cancer biology.
Specifically, we are focused on addressing three main goals:
- To explore the use of state-of-the-art tools to detail canine immune responses
- To characterize differences in the immune microenvironment between primary and metastatic sites of osteosarcoma
- To explore the utility of novel therapeutics for the treatment of osteosarcoma
We utilize a range of cell-based, molecular and tissue assays, including techniques such as fresh tissue processing and preservation, protein assays, immunoassays, flow cytometry, RT-qPCR, and next-gen sequencing.
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 - 2018 | University of California, Davis | United States | PhD |
| 2003 - 2008 | University of Melbourne | Australia | BVSc(Hons) |
| Date | Title | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 - 2014 | Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology) | University of California, Davis | United States |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Richartz, E. R., Hodgkiss, B. A., Black‐Ocken, N. C., Fuentes, R. A., Looper, J. S., & Withers, S. S. (2024). Characterization of the dissemination of canine cancer misinformation on YouTube. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 22(3), 359-366. Scopus1 WoS1 |
| 2024 | Walter, K. M., Culp, W. T. N., Giuffrida, M. A., Amsellem, P., Wallace, M. L., Grimes, J. A., . . . Kent, M. S. (2024). Treatment of retroperitoneal sarcoma results in improved outcomes. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 262(7), 1-9. |
| 2024 | Robinson, C. J., Moeller, C. E., Quick, C. N., Goodermuth, C. E., Carossino, M., & Withers, S. S. (2024). Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (M-CSF) and Interleukin-34 (IL-34) Expression in Canine Osteosarcoma in the Context of the Tumour Immune Microenvironment. VETERINARY AND COMPARATIVE ONCOLOGY, 22(4), 480-489. |
| 2023 | Moses, A. A., Robinson, C. J., Rincon, A. A., Wurlod, V. A., & Withers, S. S. (2023). Autologous blood patch pleurodesis for management of persistent pneumothorax in a dog with metastatic osteosarcoma. Veterinary Record Case Reports, 11(2). Scopus1 |
| 2023 | Withers, S. S., Moeller, C. E., Quick, C. N., Liu, C. C., Baham, S. M., Looper, J. S., . . . Kousoulas, K. G. (2023). Effect of stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling on radiation-induced chemokine expression in human osteosarcoma cells. PLoS ONE, 18(4 April), e0284645. Scopus11 WoS11 Europe PMC9 |
| 2022 | Bauman, A. B., Moeller, C. E., Soileau, A. M., Goodermuth, C. E., Costa, V. R., Schaumburg, J. C., . . . Withers, S. S. (2022). Canine memory T-cell subsets in health and disease. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, 246, 7 pages. Scopus6 WoS5 Europe PMC5 |
| 2022 | Groves, P. K., Liu, C. C., Geels, O. R., & Withers, S. S. (2022). The use of ‘trend’ statements in veterinary oncology literature. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 20(3), 732-736. Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1 |
| 2022 | Aarnes, T., Abeysekara, S., Acierno, M., Adams, C., Adin, D., Alcaraz, A., . . . Duncan, C. (2022). Thank you: 2022 JAVMA Reviewers. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 261(1), 65-66. |
| 2022 | Soileau, A. M., Quick, C. N., Moeller, C. E., Schaumburg, J. C., & Withers, S. S. (2022). The Effect of Arginase on Canine T-Lymphocyte Functions and its Modulation by All-Trans Retinoid Acid (ATRA) in Canine Monocyte-Derived Macrophages. Veterinary Sciences, 9(7), 374. Scopus3 |
| 2022 | Rebhun, R. B., York, D., Cruz, S. M., Judge, S. J., Razmara, A. M., Farley, L. E., . . . Canter, R. J. (2022). Inhaled recombinant human IL-15 in dogs with naturally occurring pulmonary metastases from osteosarcoma or melanoma: a phase 1 study of clinical activity and correlates of response. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, 10(6), e004493. Scopus27 Europe PMC25 |
| 2022 | Costa, V. R., Soileau, A. M., Liu, C. C., Moeller, C. E., Carossino, M., Langohr, I. M., & Withers, S. S. (2022). Exploring the association of intratumoral immune cell infiltrates with histopathologic grade in canine mast cell tumors. Research in Veterinary Science, 147, 83-91. Scopus4 Europe PMC5 |
| 2021 | Hu, T. G., Dehghanpir, S. D., Sasaki, E., Costa, V. R., Pucheu-Haston, C. M., Del Piero, F., & Withers, S. S. (2021). Pathology in Practice. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 259(S2), 1-4. |
| 2021 | Sparger, E. E., Chang, H., Chin, N., Rebhun, R. B., Withers, S. S., Kieu, H., . . . Kent, M. S. (2021). T Cell Immune Profiles of Blood and Tumor in Dogs Diagnosed With Malignant Melanoma. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8, 772932. Scopus6 WoS7 Europe PMC7 |
| 2021 | Singh, S. S., Mattheolabakis, G., Gu, X., Withers, S., Dahal, A., & Jois, S. (2021). A grafted peptidomimetic for EGFR heterodimerization inhibition: Implications in NSCLC models. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 216, 113312. Scopus18 WoS17 Europe PMC15 |
| 2021 | Dehghanpir, S. D., Boudreaux, B., Withers, S. S., Izquierdo, A., Sasaki, E., Piero, F. D., . . . Mitchell, M. A. (2021). Chemotherapy-Responsive Acute Myeloid Leukemia in a Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus). Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery, 31(4), 257-263. |
| 2020 | Choi, J. W., Withers, S. S., Chang, H., Spanier, J. A., De La Trinidad, V. L., Panesar, H., . . . McSorley, S. J. (2020). Development of canine PD-1/PD-L1 specific monoclonal antibodies and amplification of canine T cell function. PLoS ONE, 15(7), e0235518. Scopus39 WoS32 Europe PMC30 |
| 2019 | Withers, S. S., Sparger, E. E., Boudreaux, B., & Mason, N. J. (2019). Utilizing Microbes to Treat Naturally Occurring Cancer in Veterinary Species. Current Clinical Microbiology Reports, 6(4), 200-212. Scopus1 WoS1 |
| 2019 | Withers, S. S., York, D., Choi, J. W., Woolard, K. D., Laufer-Amorim, R., Sparger, E. E., . . . Rebhun, R. B. (2019). Metastatic immune infiltrates correlate with those of the primary tumour in canine osteosarcoma. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 17(3), 242-252. Scopus19 WoS20 Europe PMC17 |
| 2019 | Wang, Z., Aguilar, E. G., Luna, J. I., Dunai, C., Khuat, L. T., Le, C. T., . . . Monjazeb, A. M. (2019). Paradoxical effects of obesity on T cell function during tumor progression and PD-1 checkpoint blockade. Nature Medicine, 25(1), 141-151. Scopus697 WoS665 Europe PMC654 |
| 2019 | Withers, S. S., Skorupski, K. A., York, D., Choi, J. W., Woolard, K. D., Laufer-Amorim, R., . . . Rebhun, R. B. (2019). Association of macrophage and lymphocyte infiltration with outcome in canine osteosarcoma. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 17(1), 49-60. Scopus35 WoS36 Europe PMC35 |
| 2018 | Withers, S. S., York, D., Johnson, E., Al-Nadaf, S., Skorupski, K. A., Rodriguez, C. O., . . . Rebhun, R. B. (2018). In vitro and in vivo activity of liposome-encapsulated curcumin for naturally occurring canine cancers. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 16(4), 571-579. Scopus26 WoS23 Europe PMC18 |
| 2018 | Withers, S. S., Moore, P. F., Chang, H., Choi, J. W., McSorley, S. J., Kent, M. S., . . . Rebhun, R. B. (2018). Multi-color flow cytometry for evaluating age-related changes in memory lymphocyte subsets in dogs. Developmental and Comparative Immunology, 87, 64-74. Scopus33 WoS32 Europe PMC31 |
| 2017 | York, D., Withers, S. S., Watson, K. D., Seo, K. W., & Rebhun, R. B. (2017). Enrofloxacin enhances the effects of chemotherapy in canine osteosarcoma cells with mutant and wild-type p53. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 15(3), 1087-1100. Scopus9 WoS7 Europe PMC8 |
| 2017 | Rebhun, R. B., Kass, P. H., Kent, M. S., Watson, K. D., Withers, S. S., Culp, W. T. N., & King, A. M. (2017). Evaluation of optimal water fluoridation on the incidence and skeletal distribution of naturally arising osteosarcoma in pet dogs. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 15(2), 441-449. Scopus7 WoS6 Europe PMC4 |
| 2016 | Withers, S. S., Lawson, C. M., Burton, A. G., Rebhun, R. B., & Steffey, M. A. (2016). Management of an invasive and metastatic Sertoli cell tumor with associated myelotoxicosis in a dog. Canadian Veterinary Journal La Revue Veterinaire Canadienne, 57(3), 299-304. Scopus11 WoS6 Europe PMC4 |
| 2016 | Park, J. S., Withers, S. S., Modiano, J. F., Kent, M. S., Chen, M., Luna, J. I., . . . Canter, R. J. (2016). Canine cancer immunotherapy studies: Linking mouse and human. Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer, 4(1), 11 pages. Scopus104 WoS100 Europe PMC97 |
| 2015 | Withers, S. S., Johnson, E. G., Culp, W. T. N., Rodriguez, C. O., Skorupski, K. A., & Rebhun, R. B. (2015). Paraneoplastic hypertrophic osteopathy in 30 dogs. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 13(3), 157-165. Scopus53 WoS37 Europe PMC24 |
| 2015 | Shahi, M. H., York, D., Gandour-Edwards, R., Withers, S. S., Holt, R., & Rebhun, R. B. (2015). BMI1 Is expressed in canine osteosarcoma and contributes to cell growth and chemotherapy resistance. Plos One, 10(6), 17 pages. Scopus18 WoS22 Europe PMC14 |
| 2014 | Withers, S. S., Kass, P. H., Rodriguez, C. O., Skorupski, K. A., O'Brien, D., Guerrero, T. A., . . . Rebhun, R. B. (2014). Fasting Reduces the Incidence of Delayed-Type Vomiting Associated with Doxorubicin Treatment in Dogs with Lymphoma. Translational Oncology, 7(3), 377-383. Scopus24 WoS18 Europe PMC17 |
| 2012 | Simcock, J. O., Withers, S. S., Prpich, C. Y., Kuntz, C. A., & Rutland, B. E. (2012). Evaluation of a single subcutaneous infusion of carboplatin as adjuvant chemotherapy for dogs with osteosarcoma: 17 cases (2006-2010).. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 241(5), 608-614. Scopus22 WoS18 Europe PMC13 |
Connect With Me
External Profiles
