FidoCure^® Veterinary Team Blog

Stephen J. Gould was one of the most influential authors of popular science. He was a paleontologist, evolutionary biologist and historian of science.

The “Median Isn’t the Message” is an essay written by Stephen J. Gould in 1991 as part of his book Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History. The essay has been reprinted many times for many different audiences. In 2013 it was reprinted in the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics. I believe that Stephen J. Gould’s message is as relevant today as it was when he originally wrote it. I thought this essay so important and so well written, that it was required reading for every one of my residents over the past 20 years.

On Thursday June 10^th  at 3pm EST/12pm PST, we were delighted to welcome Dr. Liz Pluhar to our webinar series.

Dr. Pluhar is a full professor and small animal surgeon in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the University of Minnesota and leads the Canine Brain Tumor Clinical Trials Program.

Melanocytic tumors are a relatively common group of neoplasms in dogs that originate from a pigment producing cell or melanocyte from the epidermis, dermis or hair follicles.  Melanomas are the most common type of melanocytic tumor in the dog and affects approximately 19,000 dogs annually in the US, representing 7% of all malignant tumors in this species. Melanomas occurs in middle-aged to older dogs with mean age of 11.6 years, with no sex predisposition. Some breeds are more likely to develop melanoma in certain locations than others suggesting genetic factors are involved in melanoma development. The exposure to ultraviolet light is not a common etiology for most canine melanomas, as they occur predominantly in the mouth,  at the nail bed, or on the skin which is typically covered by hair. This situation is similar to that for mucosal melanomas in people 1–5.

Sorafenib for the Treatment of Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Preliminary Toxicity and Activity Data in Dogs. By Laura Marconato, et al(Cancers (Basel). 2020 May 18;12(5):1272. doi: 10.3390/cancers12051272).

What a week in our country. I can imagine that you may be feeling overwhelmed by the intensity of the news and pictures as I certainly am, as well as by the rapid pace of new information that keeps coming out.

Thank you for being on the front lines and taking such good care of your patients.

We know it hasn't been easy and we appreciate you.

The pandemic upended our lives and how you practice veterinary medicine. Looking back, we’re extremely proud of our team, our community, and our industry for the way it has adjusted to incredible circumstances and still delivered medicine with care and compassion.

Dr. Elizabeth Iorns is a scientist whose research focuses on identifying mechanisms of breast cancer progression. She is a cofounder and CEO of Science Exchange, and she helped launch the Reproducibility Initiative. She was involved in the development of Olaparib, a targeted therapy directed at the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation, best known for its relation to breast cancer (and recently added to the FidoCure^® platform).

The following medical brief espouses how ordinary clinical trial design is rendered less than perfect for targeted therapies, and suggests how the following 3 interrelated Agile Trial Design principles should be considered:

With new research and medical advancements, immunotherapy is the new frontier in veterinary oncology.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Nicola Mason, B.Vet.Med,...

In recent academic literature, there have been more and more publications documenting that biochemical pathways in canine cancer cells are often dysregulated, and therefore, targeted therapies are likely of value.