02806-MOU: Strategic Prevention of Canine Hemangiosarcoma: Lifetime Follow-Up
Grant Status: Open
Abstract
The Shine On project is designed to utilize complementary technologies to reduce the impact of hemangiosarcoma in companion dogs. This novel, potentially disruptive approach is the first of its kind where artificial intelligence applied to the results of a blood test will be used to assign dogs to a risk category for the development of hemangiosarcoma. The test, called the Shine On Suspicion (SOS) Test is designed to detect hemangiosarcoma at its earliest stages of development before it becomes a clinically-detectable disease. Dogs that are considered to be at high risk based on the SOS Test results will be eligible to receive the drug eBAT for strategic prevention; that is, to eliminate emergent hemangiosarcoma tumors before they form. eBAT is a rationally designed drug developed in the laboratory to attack the cells that initiate and maintain the cancer, as well as to make the environment inhospitable for their growth. For the initial phase of the Shine On project, investigators developed and refined the SOS Test and the artificial intelligence methods to assign dogs to specific diagnostic categories and started to establish the utility of the test in early detection in a group of 209 presumably healthy, pedigreed Golden Retrievers, Boxers, and Portuguese Water Dogs, 6 years of age or older. In this continuation phase of the Shine On project, this group of dogs that had the SOS Test will be followed for their lifetimes to identify any diagnosis of cancer or another chronic disease, the cause of death, and date of death. In addition, a subset of dogs determined to be at high risk using the SOS Test will receive eBAT in the setting of prevention and also followed over their lifetime to establish their outcomes. This project expects to develop firm proof of concept to support larger clinical trials, and eventual deployment of this approach to the veterinary community setting for all dogs at risk of developing hemangiosarcoma.
Funding for the research is provided through the collaborative efforts and generosity of the American Boxer Charitable Foundation, the Golden Retriever Foundation®, the Portuguese Water Dog Foundation and the AKC Canine Health Foundation, which will oversee grant administration and scientific progress.
Publication(s)
Sarver, A. L., Makielski, K. M., DePauw, T. A., Schulte, A. J., & Modiano, J. F. (2022). Increased risk of cancer in dogs and humans: A consequence of recent extension of lifespan beyond evolutionarily determined limitations? Aging and Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1002/aac2.12046
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