Virginia Tech researcher studies commonalities of canine and human brain cancer

Dogs, similar to people really, they're the only higher mammalian species that develop brain cancers spontaneously with any significant frequency. My research uses pet dogs with naturally occurring brain cancers to try to develop better ways to diagnose and treat brain cancers that are applicable across species, both human and animals. Dogs and human brain tumors pathobiologically, are very, very similar. So we can develop a drug that should help a dog with a brain tumor and, simultaneously, potentially help a human being with a brain tumor. The Veterinary Teaching Hospital is really my living laboratory. So people that have pets come to me when they have problems, and ultimately, we make a diagnosis of brain cancer. We have standard treatments that we can offer them, but we also have some novel treatments in clinical trials we can offer them in an effort to advance therapy in brain cancer for both dogs and humans. And that's why it's important to me because I go to help my patients directly. Also, by doing this translational work also contribute to the body of knowledge that'll hopefully someday help someone's, mother, father, sister, brother, or child with brain cancer. Having brain cancer transforms patients and the same is true for dogs, and recognizing the need that my patients as a veterinarian, they need better treatments as well as people, it seems like a win win situation to try to help them both.