Veterinary college researcher studying brain tumors in people and animals

The most common approaches for managing these tumors involve surgical excision, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. But conventional radiation and chemotherapy affect normal cells in addition to the cancerous cells they target, so perfecting approaches that exclusively target the molecular abnormalities present in each individual’s cancer cells and spare healthy cells is a major thrust in modern oncology.

To develop more precisely targeted systems for administering therapeutic agents to cancer cells, Rossmeisl and his colleagues are attempting to further establish the molecular similarity of human and canine gliomas.

Scientists know that when astrocytomas spontaneously arise in people, they over-express three proteins: interleukin 13 receptor alpha2 (IL-13R), which is a cancer testis tumor like agent; EphA2, a tyrosine kinase receptor; and fos-related antigen 1, an AP-1 transcription factor.

Rossmeisl and colleagues working in the college’s Center for Comparative Oncology have opened a clinical trial and are currently enrolling animals from around the region that have been positively diagnosed with a brain mass consistent with the appearance of a glioma on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The researchers will be studying tissue samples from affected animals in search of these proteins that are not otherwise present in normal brain tissues. Identifying these proteins could further document the dog’s suitability as a model for studying pre-clinical human disease, according to Rossmeisl, and ultimately lead to the development of more precisely targeted methods for managing these tumors.

Another portion of the work is focused on the development of powerful new cancer treatments. Through a process known as convection enhanced delivery (CED), the researchers are removing the diseased tissues and testing the application of a proprietary experimental compound. This agent is used to “bathe” the margins of the area in which the tumor was removed and it has been designed in a way that it will only bind with receptors in tumor cells expressing abnormal proteins.

“Their potential value is tremendous to humans and dogs with cancer,” said Rossmeisl. These treatments may represent a significant advancement in prolonging survival in dogs and people with these highly aggressive cancers.”

The researchers will also be looking at improved processes for performing radiation therapy on brain tumors in dogs.