21 Feb 2023
AURA Veterinary is seeking participants for two studies to see whether methods that have shown signs of promise in human medicine could also be effective for dogs.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Plans for clinical trials of two new techniques, which developers hope will help to improve the lives of dogs receiving chemotherapy, have been outlined.
Would-be participants are being invited to join the studies, led by AURA Veterinary, which will examine whether monitoring and treatment methods that have shown promise in human cancer treatment can also work for dogs.
The Guildford-based practice is working with the University of Surrey on one of the projects, Development of Canine Oncology Proxy-Reported Outcome Measure (CO-PROM).
The study, which has received funding from The Kennel Club Charitable Trust, aims to develop similar tools to patient-reporting monitoring systems that previous research conducted at the University of Surrey has indicated can improve chemotherapy-related symptoms and quality of life in humans.
Owners of dogs that have been diagnosed with cancer and are receiving chemotherapy from AURA will be asked to complete a daily online questionnaire for a maximum of 21 days.
Some will also be invited to participate in an online interview to give feedback on the questionnaire, with all participating owners receiving a £50 gift voucher.
Meanwhile, AURA has also teamed up with The University of Edinburgh and Leipzig University to examine whether the artificial sweetener aspartame can reduce the risk of dogs developing chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea, following studies suggesting it can reduce the risk in humans.
Dogs that have been diagnosed with cancer and are receiving vincristine or doxorubicin (single-agent or CHOP-based protocol) can be enrolled at any of the three sites.
The study, which has received a Purina Institute Resident Research Award from the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine – Companion Animals Clinical Studies Fund, covers the costs of both food supplements and faecal analysis, and participants who complete all stages of the study will have the cost of their initial consultation refunded.
Questions about the trials can be emailed to [email protected] with either “CO-PROM study” or “Clinical trial – Aspartame” as the subject line.
The closing dates for owners to join the trial are 31 May and 30 June, respectively. Further details, including full eligibility criteria, can also be found on the AURA Veterinary website.
