Study enrolls dogs with urothelial carcinoma to assess anti-cPD-L1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) safety and efficacy, with potential applications for human treatments.
The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, in partnership with Akston Biosciences Corporation, has initiated the enrollment of dogs with urinary bladder cancer in a clinical trial of a pioneering immunotherapy. The immunotherapy consisting of an anti-cPD-L1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) is designed to target and block the cPD-L1 protein on cancer cells. This, in turn, is expected to enhance the immune system’s ability to attack the cancer cells more effectively to improve outcomes and extend life. The strategic partnership between Purdue and Akston was announced in August after the underlying technology was developed at the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research (PICR).
Invasive urothelial carcinoma (InvUC), also known as transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), is the most common and aggressive type of urinary bladder cancer in dogs. While it often starts in the bladder, it can also develop in other parts of the urinary tract and can spread to the lymph nodes, lung, liver and other organs. Although the treatment of InvUC has improved over several years, and the quality of life while living with the cancer can be quite good, the cancer is rarely curable. Over time, the cancer typically develops resistance to treatment and progresses.
The trial, which evaluates the safety, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor effects of the mAb, is supported by a National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant involving the PRE-medical Cancer Immunotherapy Network Canine Trials Consortium (PRECINCT) U01 program. The trial is also supported by the Werling Comparative Oncology Research Center (WCORC) at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, and aligns with Purdue’s One Health initiative to advance university strengths in human, animal plant, and environmental health.
Parallel studies will also be performed to determine the effects of the mAb on the anti-tumor immune responses in the dogs, insights that hold the potential to advance immunotherapy approaches for both canine and human cancer patients.
Millie, a 10-year-old Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie), is the first dog to receive the anti-cPD-L1 mAb. It was not surprising that Millie developed bladder cancer. According to Deborah W. Knapp, DVM, MS, Director of the WROC, Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology and Purdue’s lead veterinarian on the study, there is a threefold to fivefold increased risk in Shetland sheepdogs when compared with the risk in mixed-breed dogs. The team is excited that Millie has the opportunity to benefit from the new therapy.
Akston Biosciences, which holds an exclusive option to license the anti-cPD-L1 mAb, also serves as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), developing and producing the antibody at its Beverly, Mass., facility for the trial. Akston’s rich pipeline also contains candidates for conditions in animals for chronic pain, atopic dermatitis and obesity.
For more information or to participate in the trial, please visit the website for the Werling Comparative Oncology Research Center (WCORC) at Purdue at https://vet.purdue.edu/wcorc/clinical-trials/.
Click here to view a complete news release from Akston Biosciences.