A University of Guelph professor has received a $450,000 grant from the Terry Fox Research Institute to help dogs and humans with bone cancer. Specifically, Byram Bridle, Ph.D.,a viral immunologist in the Department of Pathobiology, will test an innovative vaccine in a canine osteosarcoma clinical trial. The trial will take place in the Ontario Veterinary College’s Mona Campbell Center for Animal Cancer. The Terry Fox Research Institute is the research arm of the Terry Fox Foundation. Osteosarcoma is the type of bone cancer that cut short Fox’s cross-Canada Marathon of Hope in 1980, the university noted. This year marks the 35th anniversary of that run, and it’s the first time the Terry Fox Foundation has supported research at a veterinary school, said Malcolm Campbell, Ph.D., University of Guelph’s vice-president (research). “This is a great honor for the University of Guelph and our Ontario Veterinary College,” Campbell said. “This exciting partnership will allow our cancer researchers to push the boundaries of knowledge. University of Guelph researchers will collaborate on novel therapies for treating osteosarcoma in dogs — work that will provide new insights into treating the disease in people.”
