Comparative oncology is the study of naturally-occurring cancers in pet animals (mainly dogs) to broaden and deepen our collective understanding of cancers in both companion species and humans. In this presentation, you will learn about the intramural National Cancer Institute’s Comparative Oncology Program (COP) and Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium (COTC), which provide the necessary infrastructure and expertise in comparative oncology trial design and execution to support studies that are designed to advance and inform human cancer drug development. Several specific examples of how the approach has been applied to the development of novel small molecules, biologic agents, immune-oncology approaches will be presented. This presentation will illustrate how integration of comparative oncology studies can inform the process of drug development for human patients, and demonstrate the value of the approach for the drug development community/relevant stakeholders.
Learning Objectives:
1. The audience will gain an appreciation and understanding of the value of spontaneous cancers that develop naturally in companion animals in studies of cancer biology and therapy;
2. The audience will gain an understanding of how comparative oncology clinical trials are conducted through the NCI’s Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium to address specific drug development questions, which are complementary to the conventional preclinical testing carried out in other animal models and to Phase 1-2 data collected from human patients.