NcXHF

PET DOGS POISED TO ADVANCE CANCER PREVENTION RESEARCH
oncology research a main emphasis of their career is very limited.
A unique set of skills and capabilities is needed, including
knowledge of veterinary oncology, the human cancer
focused in the research, and basic science that can be applied
to improve the clinical condition, as well as excellent communication
and people skills to build multidisciplinary
teams (DVM, MD, PhD) to develop and accomplish the
work, writing skills for successful grants and manuscripts,
and the passion and drive to make the work happen. Forward
thinking institutions are also key. Institutions need to build
infrastructure and support, and allow individual faculty that
have high potential to be the “research engines” to move away
from the typical “triple-threat” position (equal time spent on
clinical service, teaching, and research) of an academic veterinary
oncologist. Some of the more successful veterinarians
that have worked in translation research have spent time at a
medical school or have had MD mentors. This enables them
to better understand the most critical needs in human oncology
and to network for collaborative research. The veterinary
scientists must also have suffıcient understanding of basic
science to know how it could be applied to answer key clinical
questions and to communicate with basic scientists for successful
collaborations. Even with these skills and talents
though, valuable translational research is going to require
multidisciplinary teams.
Access to adequate numbers of dogs for clinical studies is
obviously important. Currently, there is marked underutilization
of dogs for clinical studies. In iUC for example, of the
estimated 20,000 dogs that develop this cancer yearly, less
than 5% of those dogs enter prospective clinical trials each
year. There are programs in place, however, to accomplish
canine clinical trials in which the numbers needed exceed
that of a single institution. The best example is the Comparative
Oncology Trials Consortium implemented by the
Comparative Oncology Program at the National Cancer Institute.
50 This consortium includes academic veterinary oncologists
at 20 veterinary colleges across the United States
and Canada. Another consortium, the Canine Comparative
Oncology Genomics Consortium (CCOGC) 50 sponsored by
the National Cancer Institute, the American Kennel Club Canine
Health Foundation, the Morris Animal Foundation,
and Pfızer, is facilitating access to tumor and normal tissues
and other samples from dogs through a biospecimen repository.
Although this is an excellent starting point, this or similar
repositories will need to expand to meet research needs in
academia, nonprofıt organizations, and industry/pharmaceutical
companies, and to offer the possibility of a canine
version of The Cancer Genome Atlas. 51
In summary, clinical studies of pet dogs who have naturally
occurring cancer or who are at risk for developing naturally
occurring cancer can provide an unparalleled opportunity to
make progress that will benefıt humans, as well as pet dogs.
Fortunately, there are solutions to overcome the challenges
summarized above. This will allow pet dogs such as Lassie to
“save the day” again, this time for cancer research!
Disclosures of Potential Conflicts of Interest
Relationships are considered self-held and compensated unless otherwise noted. Relationships marked “L” indicate leadership positions. Relationships marked “I” are those held by an immediate
family member; those marked “B” are held by the author and an immediate family member. Institutional relationships are marked “Inst.” Relationships marked “U” are uncompensated.
Employment: None. Leadership Position: None. Stock or Other Ownership Interests: None. Honoraria: None. Consulting or Advisory Role: None.
Speakers’ Bureau: None. Research Funding: None. Patents, Royalties, or Other Intellectual Property: None. Expert Testimony: None. Travel,
Accommodations, Expenses: None. Other Relationships: Elaine Ostrander, Argus LLC.
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