Morris Animal Foundation Studies - 2010

D09CA-082 Potential Drug Therapy for Lymphoma

This study has been discontinued by MAF.

Lymphoma is one of the most common and fatal cancers in dogs. Most dogs treated with chemotherapy go into remission, but the cancer quickly develops drug resistance and recurs. Chemotherapy generally works by initiating apoptosis, a normal process in which cells undergo programmed death. Apoptosis occurs throughout life and is critical for developing and maintaining healthy tissues, but cancer cells develop ways to avoid apoptosis, which allows them to grow and survive in an uncontrolled fashion. Researchers will study a novel compound, PAC-1, that has been shown to induce apoptosis in tumor cells without the presence of chemotherapy. This study will evaluate the safety, dosing and efficacy of PAC-1 in dogs with lymphoma. This compound holds great promise for the treatment of lymphoma and other cancers.

D10CA-801A Evaluating Treatment for Vision Problems in Diabetic Dogs 

Diabetes mellitus affects thousands of dogs every year and can cause nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy) that may lead to impaired vision, in particular corneal disease due to decreased corneal sensitivity, tear production and tear film stability. Blindness resulting from cataracts is the most common eye complication of canine diabetes, and surgery is usually performed to restore vision. However, if corneal disease is present, surgery may not be possible. Also, if cataract surgery is successfully done and corneal disease develops afterward, it could lead to loss of or decreased vision. Current treatments have not been proven to restore corneal sensitivity or tear-film stability in diabetic dogs. Recently, topical naltrexone, a commercially available opioid antagonist, was shown to restore corneal sensation, reverse the adverse tear-film effects of diabetes and improve corneal wound repair in other species. Researchers will evaluate the effectiveness of naltrexone in increasing corneal sensitivity, tear production and tear-film break-up time in diabetic dogs. If proven efficient, topical naltrexone could be used to improve the quality of vision and decrease suffering due to corneal disease in diabetic dogs.

D10CA-016 Investigating a Noninvasive, At-home Diagnostic Technique for Gastrointestinal Disorders

Gastrointestinal disorders such as vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss are common and often associated with altered gastrointestinal motility, which is difficult to diagnose.  Without a definitive diagnosis, it is difficult to treat motility disorders. The SmartPill is a novel, noninvasive, wireless sensor capsule developed for the study of gastrointestinal motility disorders. Researchers will use the SmartPill technology to determine the gastrointestinal transit in dogs in their home environment. The results will establish for the first time the normal gastrointestinal transit parameters for dogs of different body weights (size) in a non-stressful home environment. The information and technology obtained could help veterinarians to better diagnose gastrointestinal problems while dogs are at home, cutting costs and discomfort to the patient.

D10CA-060 Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of a Drug to Control Epilepsy in Dogs

Epilepsy is a serious, late-onset seizure disorder that affects a large number of breeds and usually requires lifelong treatment. Dogs often develop a tolerance to therapy, so increasingly higher doses of anticonvulsants are needed. Previous studies showed that levetiracetam (commercially known as Keppra), a human antiepileptic drug, is well tolerated by dogs, even at concentrations that exceed the maximum therapeutic range for humans. The drug also shows promise in controlling seizures. However, the halflife of levetiracetam is short in dogs. An extended-release Keppra product was recently approved for humans and may allow for twice- or once-daily dosing in dogs. This study will determine the efficacy of levetiracetam as a safe, convenient anticonvulsant drug that can be given to dogs in a single oral dose. These data should be directly applicable to canine epilepsy patients, allowing the use of levetiracetam as a sole anticonvulsant drug.

D09CA-029 Determining the Risks Factors for Lymphoma

The funding for  D09CA-082 has been transferred to fund this study.

Lymphoma, one of the most common cancers in dogs, is fatal in most patients. Though the underlying
causes of the disease aren't understood, exposure to industrial pollutants and commonly used herbicides
may increase a dog's risk of lymphoma. Research shows that humans exposed to environmental
chemicals have a higher risk for developing lymphoma, and genetic defects in the enzymes that remove
environmental chemicals from the body increase this risk. This study will determine whether dogs with
genetic defects in an important detoxification enzyme, called GSTT, are more likely to develop lymphoma.The
results will provide insight into the genetic and environmental risk factors for lymphoma in dogs.