In 2016, Animal Cancer Foundation’s belief in the promise of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy for people and pets with cancer, led the organization to make an ACF Comparative Oncology Award to Nicola Mason, BVetMed, PhD, DACVIM, in the Department of Pathobiology, Comparative Immunotherapy Program, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania for on-going, early stage development of genetically re-directed T cells to provide complete and durable remissions in dogs with B-cell lymphoma. Since CAR-T therapy in people had significant side-effects, the researchers also hoped to shed light on reducing these for people and pets. Animal Cancer Foundation’s goal was twofold:
- To support ground-breaking research at an early stage to generate more scientific information for human and veterinary oncology.
- To enable the researchers to generate the proof-of-concept data that would attract large institutional investment, catalyzing discovery.
In an article published in JAVMA, June 2024, Vol. 262, no.S1, “Immunotherapy with genetically engineered T cells holds promise for the treatment of nonmalignant disease in the dog,” Dr. Mason’s research has significantly advanced by attracting support from large institutional and philanthropic organizations for canine CAR-T cell therapy.
Current human research has unlocked the ability to genetically redirect the antigenic specificity of T-cells using a CAR that has led to unprecedented durable clinical remissions in people with relapsed/refractory hematological malignancies and has led human researchers to treat non-malignant diseases including autoimmune disease with CAR-T therapy.
According to Dr. Mason, “These investigations into using CAR-T therapy for autoimmune disease are in the very early-stages, however, they hold significant promise for achieving durable remissions and eliminating the need for immunosuppressive therapies. Non malignant , auto-immune diseases such as pemphigus foliaceous, masticatory myositis, SLE and rheumatoid arthritis could be addressed by CAR-T-cell therapy in humans and in canine populations.”
Now that robust technologies for designing canine CAR constructs and generating autologous canine CAR-T cells are available, together with experience being built in the use of CAR-T therapy in hematological tumors, there is hope that successful CAR-T cell therapy will soon enter the veterinary clinics; for treatment of debilitating non-malignant diseases as well as for cancer.