Anthrax may be the next tool in the fight against bladder cancer

November 13, 2019

Anthrax may soon help more people win the fight against bladder cancer, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says strikes about 72,000 Americans each year and kills about 16,000, and is one of the most expensive cancers to treat.

Pet dogs suffering bladder cancer, for which all other approaches failed, were treated with a Purdue University experimental approach. A: Bladder cystoscopic biopsy being performed in patient dog to investigate tumor characteristics. B: Ultrasound image obtained to record tumor mass dimensions. Sagittal view of the bladder. Arrows point to mass in the neck of the bladder. C: Presence of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) Receptor on bladder cancer cells was revealed by binding and uptake of fluorescently labeled EGF (red). Nucleus (blue) and actin cytoskeleton (green) are also shown. (Image Provided)

The current treatments for bladder cancer are invasive for patients – who often must sit for hours at a time with a bladder full of an agent designed to kill cancer cells and tumors. Bladder cancer also is one of the most recurring for people diagnosed with the disease.

Now, researchers at Purdue University have come up with a way to combine the anthrax toxin with a growth factor to kill bladder cancer cells and tumors. The research is published in the Oct. 4 edition of the International Journal of Cancer.

R. Claudio Aguilar and his group worked with the Purdue teams led by Timothy Ratliff, a distinguished professor of comparative pathobiology and the Robert Wallace Miller Director of Purdue University Center for Cancer Research; and Deborah Knapp, the Dolores L. McCall Professor of Comparative Oncology and director of the Purdue Comparative Oncology Program, to test their solution in dogs with bladder cancer who had run out of other treatment options. They found this new agent decreased the tumor size without causing any other side effects in the animals.

Read the full story at Anthrax may be the next tool in the fight against bladder cancer

Recent Stories

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

This week, sincere gratitude is shared with Abby Props who is the Pathology Laboratory Supervisor in the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.

Student Landscape Project Benefits Animals at Purdue Veterinary Hospital

A student-led landscape redesign project has taken root at Purdue University, in the form of outdoor upgrades at the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital. Originally developed by Mary Schultz, a graduating senior in the College of Agriculture’s Horticulture and Landscape Architecture program, the project reimagined outdoor spaces used for animal recovery, training, and enrichment. This summer, the hospital implemented one of the recommendations, which involved replacing natural turf in an outdoor dog run with a new synthetic material.

Purdue Veterinary Medicine Welcomes New Students

As the heat and long days of summer subsided and the start of a new school year approached, the sense of excitement and new beginnings pervaded Lynn Hall over the last couple of weeks with the arrival of Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s new DVM and Veterinary Technology students. The DVM students in the Class of 2029 participated in a week-long onboarding program that started Monday, August 18, while the Veterinary Technology students in the first and second years of the program were welcomed with an Ice Cream Social and orientation program at the start of the fall semester.

Approaching Purdue Veterinary Conference Mixes CE and Celebration in September

The start of a new academic year signals the approach of the annual Purdue Veterinary Conference and the last chance to get an early-bird discount on registration. The conference is scheduled for September 16-20 on Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus, and features a variety of specialized tracks as well as special events. Early bird registration ends September 1, and late fees will apply as of September 2.

Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine Names New Senior Director of Admissions and Student Success

A key Purdue Veterinary Medicine staff member who has played a vital role in admissions and recruitment will now serve as the new senior director of admissions and student success. Lori Stout has been promoted to the position and Dean Bret Marsh announced the appointment Tuesday, August 26.

Lecture Hall Murals by Acclaimed Artist Continue to Inspire Lynn Hall Visitors

Two murals by artist Harry Boone have been part of Lynn Hall’s large lecture hall for more than 20 years. Commissioned in 1998, the works continue to leave a lasting impression, and Boone recently returned to campus to see them again.