Canine Cancer Research
Researchers at the Auburn veterinary lab have been awarded $1.4 million from the National Cancer Institute. In two years, researchers hope to have an alternative to canine lymphoma chemotherapy treatments.
Lymphoma is the third most common cancer in dogs. It is a rapidly growing malignancy that can occur anywhere there is lymph tissue. Currently, dogs with this cancer are only expected to live two months without treatment. Dogs may live up to one year by undergoing chemotherapy.
Although chemotherapy does not have as many harsh side effects for canines as it does for humans, alternative treatment would mean less vet visits and easier life for the ill animals. Enter: gene therapy.
Gene therapy is a popular medical research technique for cancerous tumors and various other ailments. The researchers at Auburn have altered the gene therapy a bit, in hopes for a more accurate outcome. The gene therapy will have convert into a toxin substance once it hits the lymphoma. The toxin will eventually kill the tumor.
The Auburn research lab has been working with gene therapy for five years and studying lymphoma for one year. The grant will last for five years, including research and animal treatment.
In two years when the clinical research starts, pet owners with lymphoma diagnosis dogs will receive free gene therapy treatment. Volunteer participation helps aid the research process and give hope that the treatment will work better than chemotherapy.
If all goes well with the pups, the research could prove helpful for humans as well. Lymphoma in dogs is similar to lymphoma in humans. So, could this mean in a few years there will be an alternative to chemotherapy and all of its side effects? Yes! If deemed effective in dogs, researchers at the AU vet lab will work with researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to apply findings to humans.
How exciting that Auburn University has been given this momentous opportunity. To think that one day Auburn could have contributed to cancer treatment in humans is quite the big deal. This kind of research goes to show that just because AU doesn’t have a medical school doesn’t mean we aren’t making huge strides in medical research.
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