Canine Cancer Genome Project Enters Phase II -Omics
Focuses genomic and proteomic lenses on three canine cancers
DATELINE — A team of researchers from Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, Ethos Discovery and Tufts University, has launched an extensive genomics and proteomics profiling study on Canine Osteosarcoma, B-cell Lymphoma, and Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS). This initiative is part of the Canine Cancer Genome Project (CCGP), originally funded by the Blue Buffalo Foundation and Animal Cancer Foundation.
“As a board-certified veterinary oncologist at The Animal Medical Center of New York, I am incredibly grateful to ACF’s generous donors for supporting The Canine Cancer Genome Project,” said ACF Board Member, Renee Alsarraf, D.V.M., DACVIM. “I am proud to be part of an organization dedicated to advancing cancer research through comparative oncology and a project advancing breakthroughs in cancer treatment.”
The researchers selected those specific canine cancers to build on existing omics data from previous collaborative efforts. Their approach helps increase the scientific and clinical impact of their analyses, avoid redundant studies, and use complementary project data to address gaps in comparative oncology research. Currently, canine soft-tissue sarcoma (STS), B-cell lymphoma, and osteosarcoma are cancers that remain understudied in both canine and human populations and have little to no available omics data.
“The availability of large data sets and analysis tools of the type TGen is familiar with will allow us to easily incorporate them into our CCGP studies, creating a win-win-win for the ACF, the research community, and patients,” said Nicholas Schork, Ph.D., distinguished professor, and co-director of TGen’s Clinical Genomics and Therapeutics Division and a principal investigator on the CCGP.
The CCGP multi-disciplinary team focuses on translating research from the lab into practical applications. Their work aims to develop products, strategies, and insights with immediate clinical relevance, including:
- Finding specific genomic changes or factors in dogs with cancer that can help determine the best treatment for each individual dog.
- Leveraging the wealth of human data and drug information available to identify better treatments for dogs and humans.
- Exploiting TGen’s expertise in clinical interpretation and use of genomic reports.
- Identifying genes that are similar in canine and human to create context and aid in biological interpretation.
- Creating clinically useful reporting structures useful to veterinarians for interpretation of genomic data to benefit patients in the near term.
“This study provides a unique opportunity to explore the molecular drivers of cancers that have been understudied for far too long,” said TGen President and Research Director, Jeffrey Trent, Ph.D., who also serves as a principal investigator on the CCGP. “Given TGen’s experience at analyzing human and canine cancer data and the collaborative nature of this project, we hope to reveal insights that will drive clinical improvements for both dogs and humans.”
The team will expand insights into these cancers in unique ways and advance potential care strategies for individuals with these diseases forward.
“By focusing on osteosarcoma, B-cell lymphoma, and soft tissue sarcoma we’re addressing critical gaps in cancer research that have significant implications for both veterinary and human medicine. By combining genomics, proteomics, and cancer research across species, this project will help us better understand these diseases and open new possibilities for treatments,” said Cheryl London, D.V.M., Ph.D., ACVIM, the Anne Engen and Dusty Professor of Comparative Oncology and associate dean for research and graduate education at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.
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About Animal Cancer Foundation
Animal Cancer Foundation is a California incorporated 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to finding novel treatment therapies and eventual cures for cancer by funding research in and increasing public awareness of comparative oncology, the study of naturally occurring cancers in pets and people to benefit both. Founded by Gerald S. Post, DVM, MEM, Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology) in October 1999, Animal Cancer Foundation provides funding in the form of ACF Comparative Oncology Grant Awards focused on investigations of research that expand current or create novel research models with an emphasis on near-term veterinary and human patient benefit and/or results that justify more significant funding from government or other biomedical research organizations.
About TGen, part of City of Hope
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based nonprofit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life-changing results. TGen is part of City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. This precision medicine affiliation enables both institutes to complement each other in research and patient care, with City of Hope providing a significant clinical setting to advance scientific discoveries made by TGen. TGen is focused on helping patients with neurological disorders, cancer, diabetes and infectious diseases through cutting-edge translational research (the process of rapidly moving research toward patient benefit). TGen physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of both common and complex rare diseases in adults and children. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities worldwide, TGen makes a substantial contribution to help patients through efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process.