Gene Therapy Treatment for Canine Cancer

Brandy, a 12 Year old yellow Labrador retriever, has been through a lot in the last two years of her life. Brandy's owners noticed the dog was limping; trying to Keep her weight off her right rear leg. An Examination led Brandy's veterinarian to suspect Cancer.Brandy was diagnosed with osteosarcoma – bone cancer. The retriever's right rear leg was amputated and she was given chemotherapy.Dr Elmslie and Dr Steven Dow, DVM, Ph.D for the past six years has been evaluating gene therapy for the treatment of cancer. The gene interleuken 2 showed promising results. This form of immunotherapy involves combining interleuken 2 with a fatty acidcalled a lipid. It is given intravenously to dogs diagnosed with osteosarcoma. The gene combined with the lipid is able to target the lung tissues. The intravenous therapy has had a significant effect on Brandy. After 12 weeks, the tumors in her lungs were notablysmaller than they had been six weeks earlier. Brandy has been receiving gene therapy for more than a year, and the lung tumors are extremely small.