University of Minnesota researchers have reported promising results while investigating a novel treatment for canine osteosarcoma.
The researchers used an oncolytic virus, the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV-IFNB-NIS), to target and destroy cancer cells while also boosting a dog’s immune response. The virus was engineered at the Mayo Clinic.
The study used 28 dogs diagnosed with osteosarcoma in a limb. Fifteen received VSV-IFNB-NIS, while the others received a placebo. Standard treatment, which included amputating the affected limb and chemotherapy, was administered in all the dogs.
According to the University of Minnesota, the findings included:
- Areas affected by bone cancer in the VSV-treated group exhibited more inflammatory signs, a positive outcome when fighting osteosarcoma.
- The benefits from VSV treatment might continue after surgery and chemotherapy.
“Interestingly, the dogs that had evidence of an immune response within their tumors prior to treatment experienced prolonged survival times after receiving VSV before conventional treatment,” said Dr. Kelly Makielski, an assistant professor of internal medicine at Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the lead researcher. “This includes some patients where the disease did not return more than five years after completing the treatment protocols.”
VSV-treated dogs exhibited no clinically significant laboratory abnormalities, and researchers determined that the osteosarcoma treatment can safely be administered in dogs in the neoadjuvant setting.
The observed benefits suggest that combining VSV treatment with chemotherapeutic agents that promote immune infiltration or amplify the immune response might enhance the therapy’s effects.
“Utilizing viruses to trigger the immune system against naturally occurring canine tumors shows great promise in translating research from laboratory to patient care,” said Aaron Sarver, a researcher and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Institute of Health Informatics.
More research is needed to determine treatment doses and protocols, but the promising results might be translational for human cancer patients.
The study was published in the journal Molecular Therapy Oncolytics. Learn more at bit.ly/48dNbZR.