At the National University of Singapore, scientists are using stem cell technology to treat dog cancer.
Amazingly, researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine bio-engineered stem cells to hunt down canine cancer cells and deliver drug therapies directly. Specifically, these special cells deliver targeted doses of 5-fluorouracil, a cancer-killing drug that “subsequently induces anti-cancer immunity”, according to Science Daily.
Using Stem Cell Therapy To Treat Dog Cancer
Recently, the FDA released a statement warning dog parents about fluorouracil, after many dogs died from ingesting the drug commonly found in skin creams. However, in these small, concentrated doses the drug is effectively killing cancerous cells.
Among all the animals the trial observed, 56 showed positive responses to treatment. Amazingly, fourteen dogs fully recovered, and two remained cancer-free 30 months post-treatment. Significantly, none of the dogs presented with any adverse side effects. According to researchers, this may be because of the “localized presence” of the cells in the tumor environment.
An Accessible Treatment for Dogs, and Eventually Humans
In fact, using stem cells represents a large leap in dog cancer treatments, which usually lag behind human equivalents. Until 2009, all animals with cancer were treated with generic human chemotherapies. Alarmingly, at the time there were no animal-focused cancer drugs. For this clinical trial, researchers intentionally chose dogs without other treatment options to receive the first doses of this novel medication.
Modifying stem cells is cheaper than other drug treatment methods—like using viruses to introduce therapeutic genes. As such, hopefully, the stem cell modification method will create more affordable treatment options for animal and human patients. Currently, Dr. Ho Yoon Khei, a Senior Research Fellow, says they can develop enough therapies for 18 people.
“It is our hope to extend the therapy to human patients in the future and improve healthcare outcomes for those who have cancer,” says the doctor. Notably, Dr. Yoon Khei wants people without any other options to be able to access the treatment.
