CVM Selected to Participate in Oncology Trial Consortium

April 11, 2019

Ames, Iowa - The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has selected Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine to participate in a clinical program as part of the NCI Comparative Oncology Trial Consortium (COTC).

The clinical trial will use dogs as a model for human research as Iowa State oncology researchers look at a new investigational drug for cancer therapy. The COTC operates as a platform for collaborative work between the NCI and extramural academic comparative oncology centers to design and execute clinical studies in dogs with cancer.

For this specific trial, Iowa State will enroll dogs diagnosed with lymphoma or various solid tumors. The dogs selected for the trial will undergo a variety of clinical tests to see their response to the new therapy.

Dogs are ideal models for human health research for a variety of reasons including contracting many of the same diseases as humans, such as cancer. It is estimated that more than 4.2 million dogs (5300/100,000 per population rate) in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. Iowa State is one of six veterinary colleges participating in the trial.
Iowa State is one of three veterinary colleges participating in the trial.

This is Iowa State’s first COTC trial. The COTC answers biological questions geared to inform the development path of oncology therapeutics for future use in human cancer patients.

“This places us in a different league in regards to clinical trials,” said Dr. Jon Mochel, associate professor in the Departments of Biomedical Science and Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine. “This trial will more than likely lead to other trials for us.”

Besides Mochel, other College of Veterinary Medicine faculty and staff participating in the clinical trial are Dr. Chad Johannes, assistant professor of veterinary clinical sciences; Dr. Meg Musser, assistant professor of veterinary clinical sciences; Dr. Karin Allenspach, professor of veterinary clinical sciences; and Dr. Agnes Bourgois-Mochel, clinical assistant professor of veterinary clinical sciences.

Contacts
Dr. Jon Mochel, College of Veterinary Medicine, 515-294-7424, jmochel@iastate.edu
Dave Gieseke, College of Veterinary Medicine, 515-294-4257, dgieseke@iastate.edu