Richard Olsen, a professor of veterinary pathobiology at The Ohio State University from 1969 until 1988, developed a vaccine that prevents feline leukemia, a commonly fatal disease in cats. Feline leukemia, similar to human leukemia, was the number one killer of felines before this vaccine was created. Today, the vaccine is used all around the world and is the university’s most lucrative patent. Unlike most vaccines, which destroy or alter a virus so it cannot cause a disease, Olsen’s vaccine uses antigens from the virus itself to stimulate the immune system. Olsen’s breakthrough has led to more advance research in diseases that suppress the immune system in both humans and animals. Both feline leukemia and AIDS are caused by the same family of virus.