Largest-Ever Canine Genomics Study Establishes Link Between Human and Canine Oncology

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- One Health Company, a bio company bridging the gap between canine and human cancer precision medicine, today announced newly published research from the largest ever clinico-genomics study in dogs. The study examines canine cancer in over 700 dogs from 96 breeds in comparison to over 24,000 human cancer samples and was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Shaying Zhao of the University of Georgia. The findings have the potential to be used to accelerate precision oncology drug development for both dogs and humans.

 Drug development today relies on mouse models for preclinical efficacy, which yield an 89 percent failure rate for novel cancer therapeutics in human clinical trial studies. Moreover, only three to six percent of human cancer patients enroll in clinical trials. This drives up drug discovery and research costs for new therapeutics, which already cost $2.6 billion to get FDA-approved and take on average 10 years to bring to market.

"There is a remarkable similarity between human and canine tumor biology, specifically, genomics. And because tumors progress more quickly in dogs, this creates a paradigm for preclinical research that can accelerate the development of precision cancer therapeutics for both canines and humans, without compromising safety," said Christina Lopes, co-founder and CEO of the One Health Company. "This much-needed research can ultimately improve clinical trial success, closing the vast oncology unmet needs — on both sides of the leash."

Leveraging the One Health Company's FidoCure^® Next Generation Sequencing Genomic Panel, the study compares regions of the DNA that are more prone to cancer-causing mutations. Twenty mutational hotspots were identified in the canine genome, of which researchers found 13 orthologous hotspot mutations also commonly seen in human cancers.

"This study validates findings from prior smaller sample canine genomics research and emphasizes important parallels between the human and canine tumor genomes to identify clinically actionable mutations, which in turn provides a powerful platform informing and advancing precision oncology drug development across the board," added Dr. Shaying Zhao.

To learn more about FidoCure, please visit https://www.fidocure.com/.

About One Health Company
The One Health Company is the first to bring the latest advances in human oncology - individualized, precision medicine - to dogs with cancer. We are a mission-driven company that delivers the most sophisticated diagnostics and creates a tailored treatment plan for each dog. Our flagship product, FidoCure^®, leverages what has been approved for human use, with additional data specific to canine cancer. With FidoCure, dogs with cancer receive access to the latest scientific advances in cancer care, from tests to treatment. FidoCure is backed by premier biotech investors including Polaris Ventures, A16Z, and YCombinator. Learn more at fidocure.com

For more information, please contact [email protected]

SOURCE The One Health Company