Celebrating the Breakthroughs Shaping the Future of Canine Health. Meet the 2025 Canine Health Discovery Award Finalists.

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Hemangiosarcoma Research

The AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF) funds research to better understand hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive cancer, with a focus on developing advanced diagnostics and more effective treatments.

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02759: Reprogramming the Tumor Immune Niche in Canine Hemangiosarcoma

Hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is a common, devastating disease of dogs. The malignant tumor is seen frequently in older Golden Retrievers, German Shepherd Dogs, Portuguese Water Dogs, Labrador Retrievers, and Schnauzers, but it can occur in any dog of any breed at any age. Survival times of dogs with the tumor are short, even with surgical removal […]

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Researching New Treatments for Canine Hemangiosarcoma

Hemangiosarcoma is a deadly cancer of the cells that line blood vessels. It most commonly affects the spleen, heart, and skin of dogs. While skin tumors can often be cured by surgical removal, the prognosis for splenic hemangiosarcoma is poor due to microscopic spread of cancer cells throughout the body by the time it is […]

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02946: Towards Curative Outcomes in Canine Hemangiosarcoma

Canine hemangiosarcoma is the most aggressive cancer seen in all dogs, but disproportionately affects older, large breed dogs. Despite aggressive treatment with surgery and chemotherapy, more than 50% of dogs die due to metastatic spread of their cancer within 6 months and no significant advancements in the treatment of hemangiosarcoma have occurred in over 30 […]

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01429: Mechanistic Relationship of IL-8 in Cell Proliferation and Survival of Canine Hemangiosarcoma

Grant Status: Closed Grant Amount: $100,000 Jaime F Modiano, VMD, PhD; University of Minnesota January 1, 2011 – June 30, 2013 Sponsor(s): American Bullmastiff Association, Boston Terrier Club of America, Briard Club of America Health & Education Trust, Flat-Coated Retriever Foundation, Golden Retriever Foundation, Plum Creek Kennel Club of Colorado, Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the […]

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02234-MOU: A Novel Approach for Prevention of Canine Hemangiosarcoma

Hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer in dogs, is the cause of death for one out of every five Golden Retrievers in the United States. Portuguese Water Dogs and Boxers also have an especially high risk for this disease which is devastating for all dogs. Hemangiosarcoma is incurable partly because the cancer is detected at […]

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01175-A: Pilot Investigation of the Causes of Hemangiosarcoma in Clumber Spaniels

Grant Status: Closed Grant Amount: $11,988 Nicholas S. Duesbery, PhD; Van Andel Research Institute June 1, 2008 – May 31, 2009 Sponsor(s): Breed(s): Clumber Spaniel Research Program Area: Oncology – Hemangiosarcoma Donate to Support this Research Program Area Project Summary Hemangiosarcomas (HSA) are soft-tissue tumors that arise from cells that line the inside of blood […]

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01355-A: Expression of Vascular Endothelial markers in Canine Hemangiosarcoma and their use in Diagnostic Cytology Using Immunocytochemistry

Canine hemangiosarcoma is an aggressive malignant tumor of the blood vessels which occurs most commonly in the spleen, heart and skin. Patients diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma in a location other than the skin have a very poor prognosis and these patients generally die from their disease in a short amount of time despite aggressive treatments including […]

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01759: Disrupting the Differentiation of Cancer Stem Cells to Prevent the Spread of Hemangiosarcoma

Grant Status: Closed Grant Amount: $233,914 Jaime F Modiano, VMD, PhD; University of Minnesota January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2015 Sponsor(s): American Belgian Tervuren Club, Inc., American Bouvier des Flandres Club – Bouvier Health Foundation, American German Shepherd Dog Charitable Foundation, Inc., American Pointer Club, American Spaniel Club Foundation, Australian Shepherd Health & Genetics […]

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02534: Clinical Trial for Evaluation of Propranolol and Doxorubicin in the Treatment of Canine Hemangiosarcoma

Co-investigators: David R. Brown, PhD; University of Minnesota, Michael O. Childress, DVM, MS; Purdue University, Jennifer Mahoney, DVM and Pascale Salah; University of Pennsylvania Canine hemangiosarcoma is a largely incurable cancer in dogs, and treatment approaches to improve outcomes have remained relatively stagnant over the past few decades. Treatment remains a challenge partly because the […]

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02217: A Novel Mechanism to Regulate the Growth of Canine Hemangiosarcoma

Hemangiosarcoma is an extremely aggressive cancer that is rapidly fatal in dogs. While the lifetime risk is alarmingly high for some breeds such as Golden Retrievers and German Shepherd Dogs, the disease does not discriminate, and it can strike any dog at any time. Despite considerable efforts by veterinarians and scientists to find effective treatments, […]

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00593B: Mapping Genes Associated with Canine Hemangiosarcoma

Hemangiosarcoma (HSA), a malignant tumor of vascular endothelial cells, is a significant health concern in dogs, with an incidence of ~2% of all tumors. A national heath survey of golden retriever reported that neoplasia accounted for >60% of all reported deaths and HAS was the most common malignant tumor affecting >15% of golden retrievers. A […]

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00593A: Mapping Genes Associated with Canine Hemangiosarcoma

Hemangiosarcoma (HSA), a malignant tumor of vascular endothelial cells, is a significant health concern in dogs, with an incidence of ~2% of all tumors. A national heath survey of golden retriever reported that neoplasia accounted for >60% of all reported deaths and HAS was the most common malignant tumor affecting >15% of golden retrievers. A […]

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03286: Single Nucleus RNA Sequencing of Canine Hemangiosarcoma – A Comparative Study of Splenic, Extra-Splenic, and Metastatic Tumor Profiling for Targeted Therapeutic Development

Hemangiosarcoma is a cancer originating from the lining of blood vessels, predominantly affecting larger dogs. These dogs often present as an emergency because they have a bleeding mass in their abdomen. Unfortunately, this aggressive cancer spreads rapidly, and most affected dogs survive only 23 months after surgical removal of their bleeding tumor, with chemotherapy extending […]

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