Initial results of a pilot study for canine osteosarcoma vaccine are promising, prompting a larger study to test its safety and efficacy. Pharmaceutical company Aratana Therapeutics, which received conditional licensure for Live Listeria Vector (AT-014), has expanded its clinical trial to include more than two dozen veterinary oncology practice groups across the U.S. in order to receive full licensure. Conducted by the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, the pilot study tested the immunotherapy treatment in 18 dogs. Those that received the vaccine lived more than twice as long as the historical, matched control group, with median survival times of 956 days compared to 423 days. The expanded clinical trial is designed to collect additional safety data for the vaccine in dogs that have undergone amputation of the affected limb and have already completed chemotherapy. If the treatment is found to be as safe and effective as it appeared in the initial clinical trial, Aratana will be given full licensure, allowing it to make the drug commercially available. Live Listeria Vector (AT-014) is created by removing harmful genes from the Listeria bacteria and then attaching markers of osteosarcoma cells. It is designed to supplement standard osteosarcoma treatment of amputation and chemotherapy by attacking cancer cells that have spread to other organs. The following clinics are participating in the expanded trial: Southern Arizona Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center, Tucson, Ariz. Veterinary Cancer Group of Los Angeles, Culver City, Calif. SAGE Centers for Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Care, Campbell, Calif. Veterinary Specialty Hospital by ETHOS, San Diego, Calif. VRCC Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital, Englewood, Colo. Veterinary Cancer Center, Norwalk, Conn. Southeast Veterinary Oncology and Internal Medicine, Jacksonville, Fla. Blue Pearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Tampa, Fla. MedVet Medical & Cancer Centers for Pets, Carmel, Ind. Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa Blue Pearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Overland Park, Kans. New England Veterinary Oncology Group, Waltham, Mass. Blue Pearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Southfield, Mich. Oradell Animal Hospital, Paramus, N.J. VCA Veterinary Care Animal Hospital and Referral Center, Albuquerque, N.M Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center, Bedford Hills, N.Y. MedVet Medical & Cancer Centers for Pets - Columbus, Worthington, Ohio Veterinary Cancer & Surgery Specialists, Milwaukie, Ore. Hope Veterinary Specialists, Malvern, Penn. Upstate Veterinary Specialists, Greenville, S.C. Sugar Land Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Care, Sugar Land, Tex. Veterinary Specialist of North Texas, Ft. Worth, Tex. The LifeCentre, Springfield, Va. Bridge Animal Referral Center, Edmonds, Wash. Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center, Waukesha, Wis. Click here for a short video on the vaccine by Nicola Mason, PhD, BVetMed, associate professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Mason helped develop the vaccine.
