With funding from the Morris Animal Foundation and the Golden Retriever Foundation®, a cutting-edge study on canine cancer is using artificial intelligence to develop a novel strategy for early detection and prevention of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the most common and deadly form of the disease, in dogs.
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Using artificial intelligence (AI) to examine DNA fragments found in blood, a group of researchers at the University of Minnesota are attempting a novel strategy known as “test and intervene.” The results could be used to identify dogs with a higher risk of DLBCL. The team hopes that this study will allow them to provide pet owners and veterinarians with intervention strategies to help lower the risk in identified dogs.
Morris Animal Foundation is proud to continue our partnership with the Golden Retriever Foundation® and extend the impact of the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study with this important research on canine lymphoma.
Kathy Tietje, Chief Program Officer, Morris Animal Foundation
Christine Miele, President of the Golden Retriever Foundation, added, “When given the opportunity to provide significant funding for this study, the Golden Retriever Foundation® was excited to be a part of LyRA (project) as well as a continued partnership with Morris Animal Foundation. Lymphoma sadly affects about one in eight dogs and results in both expense and loss of companionship. We are looking forward to the day of early detection and the application of prevention and treatment.”
The test will be developed by the research team based on an in-depth examination of a wide group of dogs and an analysis of samples from the Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study to uncover DNA patterns in the blood before cancer development.
This initiative is different from comparable studies as its overarching goal is to estimate canine cancer risk using a Lymphoma Risk Assessment test, allowing veterinarians and pet owners to make better treatment decisions and lessen the burden of lymphoma on dogs.
The LyRA test will categorize dogs into low or high risk for developing this form of cancer and will guide in the creation of prevention strategies for dogs deemed high risk.
Jaime Modiano, Study Principal Investigator and Perlman Professor, Oncology and Comparative Medicine, University of Minnesota
Modiano is also the Director of the Animal Cancer Care and Research Program.
According to Modiano, this research effort could have far-reaching implications not only for dogs but also for cats, endangered species, people, and other mammals. The approach could also shed light on chronic conditions, cancer risk, and aging, increasing the study’s relevance beyond companion dogs.
“We want to be very mindful about how everything we do has the potential to promote graceful aging, not only for our domestic companions but also for other animals that make the world a place that we all want to live in,” Modiano concluded.
Source: https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/