ELIAS Animal Health to Conduct Limb-Sparing Canine Osteosarcoma Clinical Study with Grant from Morris Animal Foundation

The study will evaluate the use of ECI^® in combination with a novel adjuvant to treat bone cancer in large breed dogs while avoiding amputation.

LENEXA, Kan., July 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ELIAS Animal Health, a clinical stage development company advancing novel treatments for cancer in companion animals, is preparing to initiate a new study evaluating the company's adoptive T cell therapy—the ELIAS Cancer Immunotherapy (ECI^®)—in combination with a novel adjuvant as a limb-sparing treatment for large-breed dogs suffering from appendicular osteosarcoma. The study, which will be funded by a grant from Morris Animal Foundation, will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Jeffrey Bryan and Dr. Megan Mickelson at the University of Missouri.

"For dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma, amputation of the affected limb followed by chemotherapy is the typical standard of care. However, in certain cases amputation may not be appropriate," said ELIAS Chief Medical Officer Noe Reyes, DVM. "In this study, we're evaluating a new approach where the dog is treated with the limb-sparing surgery followed by ECI^® immunotherapy."

The study will assess the safety and efficacy of the combined approach in large breed dogs. Dog breeds eligible for the study include large to giant sized dogs as defined by one of the following breeds: Saint Bernard, Mastiffs (all types), Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Great Dane, Leonberger, Newfoundland, Anatolian Shepherd, Rottweiler, Irish Wolfhound, Scottish Deerhound, Great Pyrenees, Bernese Mountain Dog, Dogue de Bordeaux, Cane Corso, Boerboel and Golden Retrievers.

ECI^® has demonstrated promising results in previous canine osteosarcoma studies, and recently achieved a critical milestone in the product licensure pathway. By combining this innovative immunotherapy with a novel adjuvant, the study aims to explore new possibilities for treatments that may not require amputation, providing hope for a better quality of life for dogs diagnosed with osteosarcoma.

"Personalized immunotherapy is the greatest advance in cancer in the 21st century," said Dr. Bryan. "Successfully combining it with limb-sparing surgery would be a vertical step in osteosarcoma."

Read more about the study from Morris Animal Foundation: https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/article/new-study-aims-revolutionize-osteosarcoma-treatment-giant-dog-breeds

About ELIAS Animal Health
ELIAS Animal Health is a medical biotechnology company advancing novel targeted T cell-based and oncolytic immunotherapies for the treatment of canine cancers. The ELIAS Cancer Immunotherapy (ECI^®), a first-in-class adoptive cell therapy for the treatment of canine cancer, is available to veterinarians commercially under 9 CFR 103.3 as an experimental autologous prescription product. The company's novel therapeutic approach offers the prospect of improved clinical outcomes and the potential for fundamentally changing the way cancer is treated. Learn more at www.eliasanimalhealth.com.

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SOURCE ELIAS Animal Health