Grant Amount: $12,744

Dr. Kristine Elaine Burgess, DVM, MS, Tufts University

February 1, 2012 - January 31, 2014

Sponsor(s): Siberian Husky Club of America

Breed(s): -All Dogs

Disease(s): Adenocarcinoma

Research Program Area: Oncology

Abstract

Spontaneous cancer in the dog is the leading cause of disease related deaths with estimates at 4 million cases per year. For most tumors the use of conventional cancer treatments can provide disease remissions, but unfortunately most cancers will recur over time. It is believed these relapses occur as a result of cancer stem cells that can evade cell death induced by chemotherapy treatments. A therapy that is directed at these stem cells would provide a key component in cancer cell killing by targeting those cells that escape traditional chemotherapy drugs. In both human and veterinary oncology, there is a real need for cancer stem cell targeted therapy, which has the potential to impact both early and late stages of cancer development. Metformin (dimethylbiguanide) is an established oral anti-diabetic drug that has been used in humans for >25 years. Epidemiological studies have revealed that diabetics treated with metformin have reduced risk of developing various types of cancer. Indeed, studies completed on human breast and other cancer cell lines have demonstrated inhibition of cell growth including breast cancer stem cells when exposed to metformin. Dr. Burgess hypothesizes that the anti-proliferative / anticancer effects of metformin seen in human cancers will be similarly observed in canine mammary and other canine cancer cell lines. Successful completion of this study will provide information necessary to conduct a phase I/II clinical trial in dogs with spontaneous forms of cancer.