OSU enrolling dogs with mammary cancer for clinical trialAugust 29, 2018Oregon State University's Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital is now enrolling dogs with mammary cancer in a new clinical trial. Dog owners considering standard tumor removal surgery may be able to choose a new surgical procedure involving an intravenous injection of a cancer cell-illuminating nanoparticle compound that highlights exactly which tissue needs to be removed. After the mammary tumor is removed, the surrounding tissue is irradiated with an infrared laser that causes the nanoparticle compound to heat up, killing any remaining cancer cells. The compound, developed by researchers in the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy, has been found to effectively cure cancer in mice. The new procedure eventually may be most beneficial for treating tumors in challenging anatomic areas, such as the brain and spine, according to Milan Milovancev, DVM, DACVS-SA, an OSU associate professor of small animal surgery participating in the study. The Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine is a member of a national consortium of veterinary oncology centers, managed by the National Institutes of Health, with a focus on translational veterinary medicine. Owners who believe their pets may be good trial candidates can ask their veterinarian …
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Washington State University researchers find critical link for melanomaJuly 10, 2018A critical link in mapping recurrent mutations of melanoma has been discovered by researchers at Washington State University (WSU) School of Molecular Biosciences (SMB), a part of the university's College of Veterinary Medicine. The study, which was conducted in collaboration with researchers at Georgia State University, could lead to a better understanding of which mutations are important for causing skin cancer in humans and potentially identify new drug targets for treatment. In a paper published last week in "Nature Communications," the research team established that DNA binding by a specific set of transcription factors, called ETS, is inherently mutagenic in UV-exposed cells. With new genome mapping technology, these findings provide a crucial understanding of mutations that result at ETS binding sites located in specific genes that are known to be drivers in the onset of melanoma in humans. Using a WSU-established sequencing-based technology that allows the mapping of the locations of UV-induced DNA damage throughout the whole human genome, researchers generated a high-resolution UV damage map in human cells. By correlating the UV damage map with melanoma mutations, they discovered significantly elevated UV damage levels at ETS binding sites, which significantly increased mutation rates at the same sites in …
KSU vet med college joins Clinical and Translational Science Award One Health AllianceMay 4, 2018The Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine has been accepted as a member of the Clinical and Translational Science Award One Health Alliance. The group is comprised of veterinary schools that are partnered with medical institutions through a National Institutes of Health Clinical Translational Science Award. The alliance's mission is to advance the understanding of translational medicine and research, leveraging the expertise of physicians, research scientists, veterinarians, and other professionals to find solutions for medical problems and to address the well-being of humans, animals, and the environment. The primary collaborator with Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine is Frontiers: Clinical and Translational Science Unit at the University of Kansas, Fairway. "Like many schools of veterinary medicine, our college continues to have a strong focus on One Health," said Bonnie Rush, DVM, DACVIM, interim dean of Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. "We already have a 20-year collaboration with the KU School of Pharmacy, training its pharmacy students in our Veterinary Health Center. Our newest collaboration with KU scientists seeks to identify novel therapeutics for erythrocyte-infecting pathogens of both veterinary and human importance." Other examples of ongoing collaborations include 1Data, a structured environment and animal …
KSU establishes translational and comparative oncology research centerJanuary 24, 2018The Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine's new Center of Excellence for Translational and Comparative Oncology Research (CETCOR) focuses on improving the diagnosis, management, and treatment of both human and animal cancers. CETCOR was established in late 2017 through start-up funding from the university's Johnson Cancer Research Center and support from the College of Veterinary Medicine. "The overriding objective of CETCOR is to expedite the pre-clinical and clinical development, production and/or licensure of novel or improved medical interventions—drugs, immunotherapeutics and medical devices—for the treatment, diagnosis and monitoring of both human and animal cancers," said Raelene Wouda, BVSc, DACVIM (Oncology), MANZCVS (SAIM), assistant professor of oncology in the college's clinical sciences department. One unique aspect of CETCOR is that it does not focus on a single type of cancer or the development of a single novel drug or technology, said Dr. Wouda. "Our group aims to facilitate the advancement of all cancer-associated research taking place on campus and within the wider K-State community, whether that be at the basic physiologic and pharmacologic level or in the later stages of the therapeutic drug development pathway," Wouda said. CETCOR's primary mission is to advance discoveries by university faculty and …
Translational research boosted by multidisciplinary study grantsNovember 20, 2017The Clinical and Translational Science Award One Health Alliance (COHA), a national network of veterinary and medical research institutions, will continue its translational research thanks to a series of grants awarded to its member institutions. COHA aims to advance the understanding of such shared diseases as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and obesity by leveraging the expertise of veterinarians, physicians, research scientists, and professionals in related fields. The multidisciplinary approach provides novel information and new strategies to improve the health and well-being of humans, animals, and the environment. COHA institutions are supported by Clinical Translational Science Awards through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. The latest COHA funding will advance efforts that include developing a unified veterinary record data management system across member institutions, planning and coordinating One Health events to increase networking and communication across disciplines, expanding opportunities for clinical and translational research training for students, and advancing efforts to enhance veterinary biospecimen use. The full list of funded projects and lead institutions: Translational Research Summit 2.0. Planning and coordination of a symposium on inherited cardiomyopathies across species for human and veterinary medical professionals, as well as other research scientists (University of …
