Brain tumor tissue banking
Lack of access to good quality canine brain tumor tissues and tumor cell cultures is the biggest barrier to advancing the field of brain tumor investigation and therapeutic development. Very few veterinary institutions in this country have an actively-funded tumor biorepository, and fewer actively acquire and bank brain tumor tissues. Where canine biobanks exist, brain tumors remain strikingly underrepresented. Thus, there is a great importance to collecting and banking canine brain tumor tissues for shared use among comparative brain cancer researchers.
Comprehensive information about tumor genetics, biology, and the molecular landscape of brain tumors will allow specific determination of which pathways or tumor types/subtypes provide the best model for comparative and translational studies to advance human therapies. The availability of comprehensive data from the canine model will help promote identification and development of novel therapeutics that are targeted to molecular pathways or triggers for cancer development that co-occur in humans and dogs, and identify appropriate use of canine clinical trials that may promote more rapid approval of novel therapeutics through regulatory mechanisms.
Tissues from the CSU Tissue Repository are made available to other institutions that wish to collaborate brain tumor studies, so the collection and banking of brain tumor tissues here at CSU will have far-reaching benefits to other institutions as well. The NIH National Cancer Institute’s Comparative Brain Tumor Consortium (of which CSU is a member and active participant) already has in place collaborations among several key players in the area of brain tumor research, many of whom are in need of brain tumor specimens for their studies in tumor genetics, molecular biology, and therapeutic development.
Financial incentive
The study will apply a credit of at least $5,000 and up to $9,000 to your Veterinary Teaching Hospital account to be put towards the cost of brain surgery. These credits can only be applied after your dog has been deemed eligible and you have chosen to enter the trial, and will be credited to your account after surgery is completed.
condition(s)
eligibility information
Dogs must have a diagnosis of a brain tumor that is deemed surgically resectable/accessible based on MRI characteristics. They cannot have had any prior radiation therapy or chemotherapy for their tumor. They must have good function of the liver and kidneys, acceptable blood counts, and be free of severe underlying disease that might affect safe administration of anesthesia. Dogs must undergo some diagnostic testing prior to starting the study to ensure that they are eligible, including blood work (complete blood count, chemistry profile), urinalysis, and brain MRI.
Enrollment Deadline
Enrollment ends December 31, 2022
contact information
For more information about enrollment, please contact Breonna Kusick at csuneurotrials@colostate.edu. If possible, please provide your dog’s most recent veterinary records at initial contact.
