Canine Cancer Vaccine Could Be Trialled On Humans

[Boronia]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-29/cancer-vaccine-for-dogs-could-help-humans/4851234

Canine cancer vaccine could be trialled on humans: researchers

By medical reporter Sophie Scott and Jeanavive McGregor Updated 17 minutes ago

Photo: Sally the kelpie is still alive two years after surgery for a tennis ball-sized cancer tumour in her liver. (ABC News)

Researchers say a new cancer vaccine that appears to be helping dogs could soon be used in human trials.

The vaccine, developed by researchers at Sydney's Kolling Institute, has been trialled on almost 30 dogs with advanced melanoma, bone cancer and liver cancer.

Early results found the vaccine not only slowed the growth of the original tumour but also helped to prevent more developing.

Dr Chris Weir, who developed the vaccine, said the anecdotal results are promising.

"I decided to use dogs because they have a high rate of malignancy and because vets use chemotherapy and radiation therapy on dogs with cancer, in much the same way as humans with cancer are treated," he said.

"When a vet tells you this dog has 12 months to live and they are kicking on over two years later, you have to hold hope that we can roll this out not only for dogs but also for human patients."

The vaccine is made using cells from individual tumours, creating a unique and personalised vaccine for each canine patient.

It also contains a bacteria that stimulates the immune system to kill cancer cells.

The results of the early trial have not been published in a scientific journal because researchers want to patent the vaccine technology first.

Medical oncologist at the Royal North Shore Hospital, Professor Stephen Clarke, hopes that human clinical studies will start in six months to one year.

"Prior to the last few years, cancer vaccines had been a great hope but hadn't really resulted in any clinical products so we have substantial hope about this," he said.

"These guys in the lab have spent quite a lot of time developing the vaccine in the way that it will stimulate the greatest immune reaction, so we have high hopes.

"These animals' data are really good prelude to undertaking clinical studies."

Success story for Sally the kelpie

Vet student Jenny Millar found out about the study when her kelpie Sally was diagnosed with liver cancer.

The kelpie had a tennis ball-sized cancer in her liver.

Surgeons were only able to remove 90 per cent of the tumour, but the Ms Millar wanted to avoid chemotherapy because Sally was nearly 13 years old.

"After the surgery we gave her the vaccine and sure enough, two-and-a-half years later, completely defying all expectations, she is still with us," she said.

She says Sally, now 15, is a happy and healthy old dog with no signs of the cancer reoccurring.

"She's the best dog in the world. Nobody was expecting it, we just enjoy every day we have with her," Ms Millar said.

Veterinary oncologist Dr Miles Alexander has been using the vaccine since 2011 as an add-on therapy for dogs with terminal cancer.

"I have seen no adverse side effects and so far I am encouraged by the patients who have lived well beyond my expectations while maintaining a great quality of life," he says.

[mita]

I heard only a bit of the program & was curious to find out more. Very promising across a range of cancers:

The vaccine, developed by researchers at Sydney's Kolling Institute, has been trialled on almost 30 dogs with advanced melanoma, bone cancer and liver cancer.

Early results found the vaccine not only slowed the growth of the original tumour but also helped to prevent more developing.

I think emerging treatments can be more quickly put into clinical practice with pets. There's more clinical trials before same can happen for humans. Shows we have good reason to keep a close eye on new treatments coming up well in vet practice!

Edited July 30, 2013 by mita

[sandgrubber]

Sorry to be cynical, but it sounds very lucrative for the drug companies, and I doubt it will become an affordable therapy for dogs. They're just feel good guinea pigs. People would gladly pay tens or hundreds of thousands to be cured of late stage cancers.

Meanwhile, antibiotics research is not sufficiently profitable and work to deal with drug resistant TB and infections that hang around hospitals is barely funded.

[mita]

The drug companies sure hold the money bags, a great deal, for what research is funded. And they aim that towards what they see as commercially viablel goals.

I wish the public funding of research could sustain the huge costs that are required from beginning to end of projects. Like, I think, the Human Genome Project was. Pity that the public funding from developed countries can't be combined to work on classes of antibiotics to deal with the superbugs. Which will then modify to become resistant ... & so the chain goes on.

In the meantime, I welcome whatever research manages to come thro', like the one in the OP.

Edited July 31, 2013 by mita