{"id":2844,"date":"2022-03-03T19:58:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-03T19:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/?p=2844"},"modified":"2024-06-19T18:37:46","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T18:37:46","slug":"when-veterinary-and-human-sciences-collaborate-cancer-patients-of-all-species-benefit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/2022\/Q1\/when-veterinary-and-human-sciences-collaborate-cancer-patients-of-all-species-benefit","title":{"rendered":"When veterinary and human sciences collaborate, cancer patients of all species benefit"},"content":{"rendered":"

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —<\/p> \n

Dakota, a 4-year-old French bulldog from Justin, Texas, has pushed the boundaries of what it means to be humanity\u2019s best friend. She developed a glioma, a form of brain tumor that is particularly dangerous to both canines and humans. By working with veterinary scientists at Purdue University, Dakota received treatment for her cancer while also contributing to cancer research that may benefit both humans and canines.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Purdue University Center for Cancer Research<\/a> (PCCR) is one of only seven basic research laboratories recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and is the only basic science center<\/a> with an affiliated veterinary college, says Timothy Ratliff<\/a>, the center\u2019s Robert Wallace Miller Director and Distinguished Professor of Comparative Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The PCCR connects more than 130 researchers<\/a> from across the university to collaborate on advancing all areas of cancer research. The distinctive partnership with veterinary scientists, including veterinary doctors Timothy Bentley<\/a> and Deborah Knapp<\/a>, makes Dakota\u2019s treatment possible and positions PCCR to make the most of its findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canine patients in clinical trials at Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine<\/a> (PVM), including Dakota, are contributing to a situation that helps pets, their owners and cancer patients of both species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe call it a win-win,\u201d says Bentley, an associate professor, veterinary neurologist and neurosurgeon, who is overseeing the trial. \u201cThe clinical trials we\u2019re able to conduct mean that dogs receive treatments for their diseases that would normally be cost-prohibitive for their owners, and meanwhile, we\u2019re developing new treatments for both adult and pediatric patients around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this particular study, Bentley has teamed with Dr. Renee Chambers, a clinician scientist and neurosurgeon from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, who received funding from the NCI\u2019s PRECINCT<\/a> program for the work.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Dakota Murphy, a French bulldog who traveled from Justin, Texas, to participate in a clinical trial studying the effectiveness of an immunotherapy treatment for brain tumors, is held by Timothy Bentley, associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, during a two-week checkup. (Purdue University photo\/Rebecca McElhoe).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Dakota and her owners, Kaitlin and Erik Murphy, made multiple trips from Texas to participate in the study, which includes the initial surgery and routine follow-ups. As a dose-escalation study, the trial aims to gauge how well and at what dosages a conditionally approved immunotherapy is useful against gliomas. Glioblastoma, the most common glioma in humans, is almost invariably fatal \u2014 95% of patients die within five years, according to the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGliomas are likely to be the top pediatric cancerous killer. It\u2019s not as common as other cancers, but developing effective treatments has been extremely slow going and frustrating,\u201d Bentley says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike traditional radiation or chemotherapy, which attack both cancerous and healthy cells, immunotherapies use a drug to mobilize the body’s immune system into attacking only unhealthy cells. After surgically removing the glioma, Bentley injects a virus that has been genetically modified so that it is capable of targeting and infecting only cancerous cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSurgery alone is never, ever going to be a cure for glioma, because even though we remove everything visible, the disease persists on the microscopic, cellular level,\u201d Bentley says. \u201cThat’s where the virus works. We remove the formed tumor, and the virus attacks the cells that will continue trying to rebuild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because studying the efficacy of immunotherapies relies on an otherwise functioning immune system, they can be studied effectively only in natural settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need a real patient with a real cancer and real immune system in order to see if it works. This is exactly where pets come in,\u201d Bentley says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canine patients expand scope of cancer data<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the past 10 years, Bentley, alongside Knapp, Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology and the Dolores L. McCall Professor of Comparative Oncology, has been mapping the molecular and cellular similarities between some forms of canine and human cancers. Their research shows the benefit of funding canine cancer research for both canines and humans, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is in agreement. Though the FDA has approved the virus used on Dakota as an investigational agent, meaning it can be used in clinical trials, the treatment cannot move forward without testing in naturally occurring canine cancers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe FDA said they needed to see the dose escalation in pet dogs with naturally occurring cancers \u2013 not in a lab animal,\u201d Bentley says. \u201cThis is exciting for me and Dr. Knapp because we\u2019ve been shouting from the rooftops for years that our patients are the model the field has been looking for. Cancer in dogs has been proven to be more realistic and more predictive than lab animals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knapp, who focuses on a devastating form of bladder cancer, has advanced a number of drug delivery treatments, including a project with other PCCR scientists using a modified strand of an Anthrax toxin<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Deborah Knapp, the Dolores L. McCall Professor of Comparative Oncology, performs an ultrasound on a dog. The Purdue Cancer Center for Research is the nation\u2019s only National Cancer Institute Basic Laboratory Cancer Center affiliated with a college of veterinary medicine. (Purdue University photo\/John Underwood).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

While her previous work has shown how similar these cancers are on the cellular level, Knapp has recently partnered with colleague Deepika Dhawan, a research scientist in Purdue\u2019s Comparative Oncology Program<\/a> (PCOP), to show how human cancer research can also benefit from canine study at the molecular level. New information becomes visible at the molecular level, including the cancer\u2019s subtype, which can help predict how aggressive, how fast and how far a cancer is likely to metastasize or spread, Knapp says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cSubtype identification is emerging as one approach to begin to customize a patient\u2019s care, which can improve quality of life and quality of treatment. No one wants to just guess how aggressive we need to be, so this has the potential to allow us to personalize care in the future,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studying canine tissue samples and observing patients in research and clinical settings innovates the trajectory of cancer research for both canines and humans by increasing the amount of available data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knapp, a distinguished professor, is also director of PCOP and chairs a steering committee for the NCI\u2019s Integrated Canine Data Commons focused on facilitating the link between veterinary and cancer research. She plays a leading role in the college\u2019s residency training, citing the importance of training the next generation of doctors and researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a center of excellence in Purdue\u2019s College of Veterinary Medicine, the oncology program is making immense progress in four areas of research that seek to improve the outlook for people and animals facing cancer: targeted drugs, immunotherapy, early detection and intervention, and individualized care,\u201d Knapp says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That the Murphys committed to traveling from Texas is evidence of the College of Veterinary Medicine\u2019s reputation as a center of excellence in comparative oncology research. Because of innovations by PVM and PCCR scientists, like Bentley and Knapp, and their rich collaborations with scientists like Chambers, new therapies are being developed and dogs like Dakota are receiving more quality time with their families. The dosage study has reached the maximum amount without any related side effects, and is, by all accounts, a success, Bentley says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe cannot say enough good things about Dr. Bentley and Purdue,\u201d Kaitlin Murphy says. Unfortunately, Dakota recently died of complications from pneumonia, unrelated to the cancer or procedure. \u201cThe extra months he gave us with Dakota are priceless. We are so lucky to have found him and this study and are so very thankful for the extra time and memories we had with Dakota.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Purdue University<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today\u2019s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https:\/\/stories.purdue.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n Writer and Media contact:<\/strong> Christy McCarter, mccarter@purdue.edu<\/a>\u00a0
Sources:<\/strong> Timothy Bentley, rbentley@purdue.edu<\/a>,
Deborah Knapp, knappd@purdue.edu<\/a>,
Timothy Ratliff, tlratliff@purdue.edu<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n
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Note to journalists:<\/p>\n

\n Photos of Purdue scientists Timothy Bentley and Deborah Knapp are available for media use via a Google Drive folder<\/a>. Visitors to campus should follow standards set in\u00a0Protect Purdue guidelines<\/a>. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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