January 27, 2025
Contact: Brian Consiglio, consigliob@missouri.edu
When Mary Winter, BS ’81, JD ’90, of Jefferson City noticed that her rescue dog, Sadie, developed swollen lymph nodes last fall, Winter’s veterinarian confirmed what she already suspected: cancer.
Her Border Collie mix was diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer common in both dogs and people. Determined to give Sadie the highest quality of care, Winter turned to the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.
After meeting with Jeffrey Bryan, a professor and researcher in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Winter was told Sadie qualified to participate in a clinical trial for a new cancer treatment overseen by the National Cancer Institute. Winter was eager to contribute to the study.
“We wanted to see if the new treatment could help not just Sadie, but other dogs, and even humans, too,” Winter said.
The treatment uses chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, in which human CAR T-cells are injected directly into a dog’s lymph nodes, rather than indirectly through the bloodstream. These T-cells are specifically “trained” to target and kill the cancer cells.
“By collaborating with the MU Research Reactor, which produced a tracer that we used, we were able to track where the CAR T-cells were going in Sadie’s body by using our positron emission tomography (PET) scanner,” Bryan said. “Mizzou is one of only a few universities in the country with this advanced technology, and Sadie is only the second dog ever to receive this new treatment successfully. It was very exciting to see the CAR T-cells attacking the cancer in her lymph nodes like they were supposed to.”
After receiving the initial treatment, Sadie’s lymph nodes reduced in swelling, and she is now doing well as she continues to receive treatment.
“After the initial treatment, Sadie got a little bit better every day, and now she is almost back to normal,” Winter said. “Not only did Sadie receive fantastic care at Mizzou, the veterinary staff there were also so attentive — walking us through what to expect and quick to communicate with us when they had updates so we were always in the loop.”
Bryan, who is also the associate director of comparative oncology at MU Health Care’s Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, said the goal of his research is to help both animals and humans.
“Sadie is part of an initial three-dog study, but our goal is to expand that,” Bryan said. “Everything we learn can help inform and advance CAR T-cell therapy for humans with lymphoma, so it is a really exciting time to be innovating in this space. Mizzou has made some really big investments in the technology and facilities we need to carry these things out, so we will keep pushing forward.”
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