2024-03-11 16:55:00
Many dogs develop cancer: one in four will be diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime. So far, the chances of a cure have been low compared to humans – veterinary medicine knows little about animal oncology.
“Cancers in dogs and humans are very similar,” says doctor Mark Mamula in a press release from Yale University. “Dogs, just like people, get cancer spontaneously,” he explains. The cancer cells “grow, metastasize and mutate” just like in humans.
That’s why it was ultimately not difficult to build a bridge between human and dog cancer research. Mamula actually deals with autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes. His knowledge ultimately led him and his team to develop a new type of vaccine: This is intended to combat cancer in dogs.
“In many ways, tumors are like autoimmune diseases,” said Mamula. “Cancer cells are your own tissue and are attacked by the immune system. The difference is that we want the immune system to attack the tumor.”
Many cancers, which occur in both humans and dogs, are linked to overproduction of two proteins. The aim is to reduce this production of proteins with the help of antibodies. The problem: Many people develop immunity to these antibodies.
Mamula and his team found a way to minimize this defensive reaction. In 2016 they started a clinical trial with the new vaccine. Since then, over 300 dogs have been given the vaccination in addition to usual treatment.
The results of the study are extremely positive: the antibodies bind to the tumors and in this way prevent growth. As a result, dogs’ chance of survival within the first year increased from 35 to 60 percent.
This isn’t just great news for dog owners: humans could ultimately benefit from this treatment, too. However, it is still uncertain whether a similar vaccine will also be used on human subjects. The research team is currently concentrating on another point: they want to find out whether vaccination can also prevent the development of cancer in dogs.
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