Veterinary Pharmacology & Organoid Biology

Jon P. Mochel Precision Pharmacology · UGA CVM

Modeling disease at the intersection of math, biology, and medicine.

Dr. Mochel leads translational research at UGA's College of Veterinary Medicine, combining 3D organoid platforms with mathematical pharmacology to build better models of disease and drug response — for dogs, and for humans.

Jon P. Mochel, DrVetMed, PhD
Associate Professor · Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology
  • Associate Professor, Dept. of Pathology, UGA CVM
  • Director, Canine Organoid & PK/PD Modeling Program
  • Faculty, Institute for Bioinformatics, UGA
  • 178+ peer-reviewed publications
  • NIH, NSF, and USDA funded investigator
UGA College of Veterinary Medicine · Athens, Georgia
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Publications
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Years Federally Funded
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Organoid Tissue Types

From organoids to outcomes —
precision pharmacology at scale

The Mochel lab bridges pharmacokinetics, mathematical modeling, and 3D organoid biology to build clinically relevant preclinical models — using dogs as sentinels for human disease.

PK/PD Mathematical Modeling

Integrating pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles with computational dose-response frameworks. The lab builds and validates in vitro–in silico platforms that predict drug behavior at tissue, organ, and whole-animal scale — enabling rational dosing for veterinary and human drugs.

Canine Organoid Platforms

Building and characterizing adult stem cell-derived organoids from 12+ canine tissue types — intestine, bladder, liver, lung, and more. These 3D mini-organs enable high-content drug screening, disease modeling, and toxicology studies without live animals.

Translational & Comparative Medicine

Dogs develop many of the same cancers, GI diseases, and metabolic conditions as humans — spontaneously, and with similar genetics. The Mochel lab leverages this natural overlap to validate canine patient-derived organoids as clinically relevant surrogates for human preclinical models.

Systems Biology & Cancer Pharmacology

Applying systems biology frameworks to cancer research — including canine urothelial carcinoma, GI tumors, and avian influenza models. Recent work includes OrganoidChip+ microfluidic platforms and bioengineered gut bacteria as Parkinson's disease therapeutics.

Recent work

Peer-reviewed research spanning organoid pharmacology, PK/PD modeling, and veterinary internal medicine.

Clinical & Translational Medicine 2026
"Establishment of a canine urothelial carcinoma-derived organoid biobank: A platform for comparative and translational research."
PMID 41889014 ↗
AAPS Journal 2026
"Innovative In Vitro-In Silico Platform for Dose-Response Modeling in Canine Bladder Cancer: A 3D Organoid- and Mathematics-Based Approach."
PMID 41851390 ↗
J Veterinary Internal Medicine 2026
"Effect of the sodium glucose transporter-2 inhibitor dapagliflozin on urine and blood biomarkers in dogs with heart disease."
PMID 41802285 ↗
Frontiers in Cell & Developmental Biology 2025
"Establishment and transcriptomic characterization of canine organoids from multiple tissues."
PMID 41378311 ↗
Scientific Reports 2025
"A microfluidic platform for culturing and high-content imaging of adult stem cell-derived organoids."
PMID 41249220 ↗
Cell Host & Microbe 2025
"Bioengineered gut bacterium synthesizing levodopa alleviates motor deficits in models of Parkinson's disease."
PMID 41172985 ↗
Cancer Research 2025 Review
"A Roadmap for the Future of Systems Biology in Cancer Research."
PMID 41091803 ↗
Biology (Basel) 2025
"A Preclinical Model to Assess Intestinal Barrier Integrity Using Canine Enteroids and Colonoids."
PMID 40136526 ↗

Collaborations & Funding

Dr. Mochel works across veterinary and human medicine, partnering with bioengineers, oncologists, neurologists, and pharmacologists at institutions worldwide.

Key Research Areas

  • PK/PD modeling & computational pharmacologyIn vitro–in silico dose-response platforms
  • Canine organoid biobanks (12+ tissue types)Intestine, bladder, liver, lung, and more
  • Veterinary emergency & critical care pharmacologyRetrospecrive clinical studies, toxicology
  • Cardiac pharmacology & SGLT2 inhibitorsDapagliflozin in canine heart disease

Notable Collaborations

  • Prof. Karin Allenspach, UGA CVMJoint organoid biobank & cancer programs
  • Ben-Yakar Lab, UT AustinOrganoidChip+ microfluidic platform

Interested in collaboration?

Dr. Mochel welcomes inquiries from industry partners, academic collaborators, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows interested in organoid-based pharmacology and veterinary translational medicine.

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