Novel genomic prognostic biomarkers for dogs with cancer

Clinical Use of Molecular Biomarkers in Canine and Feline Oncology: Current and Future

Molecular biomarkers are central to personalised medicine for human cancer patients. It is gaining traction as part of standard veterinary clinical practice for dogs and cats with cancer. Molecular biomarkers can be somatic or germline genomic alterations and can be ascertained from tissues or body fluids using various techniques. This review discusses how these genomic alterations can be determined and the findings used in clinical settings as diagnostic, prognostic, predictive, and screening biomarkers. We showcase the somatic and germline genomic alterations currently available to date for testing dogs and cats in a clinical setting, discussing their utility in each biomarker class. We also look at some emerging molecular biomarkers that are promising for clinical use. Finally, we discuss the hurdles that need to be overcome in going 'bench to bedside', i.e., the translation from discovery of genomic alterations to adoption by veterinary clinicians. As we understand more of the genomics underlying canine and feline tumours, molecular biomarkers will undoubtedly become a mainstay in delivering precision veterinary care to dogs and cats with cancer.

Precision Medicine in Veterinary Science

Precision medicine focuses on the clinical management of the individual patient, not on population-based findings. Successes from human precision medicine inform veterinary oncology. Early evidence of success for canines shows how precision medicine can be integrated into practice. Decreasing genomic profiling costs will allow increased utilization and subsequent improvement of knowledge base from which to make better informed decisions. Utility of precision medicine in canine oncology will only increase for improved cancer characterization, enhanced therapy selection, and overall more successful management of canine cancer. As such, practitioners are called to interpret and leverage precision medicine reports for their patients.

Clinical, pathologic and molecular findings in 2 Rottweiler littermates with appendicular osteosarcoma

Appendicular osteosarcoma was diagnosed and treated in a pair of littermate Rottweiler dogs, resulting in distinctly different clinical outcomes despite similar therapy within the context of a prospective, randomized clinical trial (NCI-COTC021/022). Histopathology, immunohistochemistry, mRNA sequencing, and targeted DNA hotspot sequencing techniques were applied to both dogs' tumors to define factors that could underpin their differential response to treatment. We describe the comparison of their clinical, histologic and molecular features, as well as those from a companion cohort of Rottweiler dogs, providing new insight into potential prognostic biomarkers for canine osteosarcoma.

Review of Molecular Technologies for Investigating Canine Cancer

Genetic molecular testing is starting to gain traction as part of standard clinical practice for dogs with cancer due to its multi-faceted benefits, such as potentially being able to provide diagnostic, prognostic and/or therapeutic information. However, the benefits and ultimate success of genomic analysis in the clinical setting are reliant on the robustness of the tools used to generate the results, which continually expand as new technologies are developed. To this end, we review the different materials from which tumour cells, DNA, RNA and the relevant proteins can be isolated and what methods are available for interrogating their molecular profile, including analysis of the genetic alterations (both somatic and germline), transcriptional changes and epigenetic modifications (including DNA methylation/acetylation and microRNAs). We also look to the future and the tools that are currently being developed, such as using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify genetic mutations from histomorphological criteria. In summary, we find that the molecular genetic characterisation of canine neoplasms has made a promising start. As we understand more of the genetics underlying these tumours and more targeted therapies become available, it will no doubt become a mainstay in the delivery of precision veterinary care to dogs with cancer.