The Open Philanthropy Project awarded a multi-year grant of $6,421,402 to Stephen Albert Johnston at Arizona State University to support the largest interventional canine clinical trial ever conducted. The trial will assess the effectiveness of a unique vaccine in preventing any type of cancer in dogs.

The trial will enroll at least 800 owners’ pets to test the efficacy of a novel vaccine to prevent cancer.

“Our goal has always been, that if this is possible, we should at least try it,” said Johnston, who directs the Biodesign Center for Innovations in Medicine and is a professor in the School of Life Sciences. “Open Philanthropy was the only organization that responded to support our high-risk project, the biggest cancer intervention trial in dogs ever. I really admire them for that.”

Searching for a vaccine

It is widely thought that all cancers are unique and therefore a general, preventative vaccine would not be possible. However, Johnston’s team has discovered a potentially high-impact way of identifying tumor antigens that are common among cancers; these make up the key components of their vaccine.  Click here to read full News

Source: Arizona State University
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