Comparative Oncology: Do Dogs Hold the Key to New Therapeutic Targets?

Comparative oncology, which brings together the efforts of veterinary and human medical professionals, takes advantage of the similarities in cancer between dogs and humans to facilitate the development of more effective cancer therapies for both pets and humans.   Science has repeatedly shown that dogs develop cancers similar to those in humans, whether in terms of appearance, genetics, or response to treatment. Given the multitude of similarities, it is therefore only natural that comparative oncology has emerged. This combined effort integrates human medicine and veterinary medicine to bridge the gap between human health and animal health and enable the study of canine tumors as animal models for human cancers. Because cancers in dogs and humans arise under similar environmental conditions, researchers can use canine cancerous tumors to better understand human tumor progression. As a result, dogs may hold the key to new therapeutic targets and cancer treatments that will benefit both pets and their owners. With these goals in mind, a research team at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) began studying a receptor found on cancer cells in the bones, mammary glands, lymphocytes, and blood cells of in both dogs and humans, in the hope of finding similarities. Protein kinases such as Eph tyrosine kinases, which underlie various cancerous properties, are important molecules in the context of cancer research. Indeed, these cell surface proteins are implicated in several human cancers. They are therefore potential therapeutic targets. Although these receptors have been studied in human cancers, no other research laboratory has, to date, evaluated their involvement in canine malignant tumors. Furthermore, existing research has focused on only a few of the many subtypes of Eph receptors that occur naturally in non-cancerous cells. The researchers hope to identify potential therapeutic targets that are expressed in the same way in both canine and human tumors. This discovery would pave the way for the development of new anticancer drugs. Indeed, if a similar cancer context exists between the two mammals, drug development would become all the more rapid and effective. Testing new therapies on canine models before adapting them for use in human medicine offers numerous advantages, including the ability to accelerate testing and approval of therapies. While human medicine has strict guidelines for clinical trials, veterinary medicine has a much faster approval process that still adheres to ethical guidelines. Furthermore, dogs have shorter lifespans, so their cancers naturally progress more rapidly. This means that clinical trial results are also available more quickly than they would be in human trials. Benefits for everyone. It also provides an opportunity to share innovative and advanced diagnostics and therapies from human medicine with veterinary medicine. Both animal and human patients benefit equally from a more diverse range of therapeutic options available in a shorter timeframe.