“Kids and animals often develop very similar types of cancer. When pediatricians, scientists, and veterinarians work together, research can improve treatments not only for children, but for their ‘best friends’ too” – Dr. Ryan Roberts

ACF’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the presentation of two Comparative Oncology Grant Awards for 2015 which were made possible by the generosity of our donors and benefactors.

The first award was presented to Ryan D. Roberts, MD, PhD, Senior Fellow, Pediatric Hematology, Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, who is working with Helene M. LePommellet, DMV, a veterinary surgical resident at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, for a study entitled “Resection of primary osteosarcoma terminates self-seeding and facilitates metastasis.”  According to Roberts, “The grant will allow our team to determine the relative contributions of self-seeding to the metastatic process and ask whether the removal of a primary tumor might actually promote the development of lung metastasis, which is the most frequent complication of treatment.”

The team is hoping that the knowledge gained through this study will lead to development of trials aimed at disrupting the emergence of lung metastases.

Osteosarcoma currently accounts for 3% of childhood cancers, but is 10 times more frequent in dogs.  Studying the disease in dogs allows pediatric oncology researchers to apply knowledge learned to more rapid, effective treatment.