Comparative Oncology Program

Mission

Our mission is to improve the care and treatment of veterinary oncology patients by interdisciplinary collaborative efforts within the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Ohio State University biomedical community, and nationwide. This will be accomplished by enhanced diagnostic capabilities, state-of-the-art treatment, clinical trials, and translational medicine supported by both basic and clinical research.

Education of professional and graduate students, faculty, and the public will be a vital component of this process. The overarching goal is a better understanding of the pathogenesis of cancer in all species, which will ultimately lead to optimized therapeutic modalities, improved quality of life for veterinary oncology patients and a stronger human-animal bond.

Bringing Together Research and Clinical Practice

Signature programs are an important way to enhance a college's research support and educational efforts in a specific area. Our Comparative Oncology Signature Program connects faculty, staff, and students from all departments with an interest in cancer. The group's mission is to improve the care and treatment of animal cancer patients by collaborative research within the College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University medical community and universities nationwide.

Members' areas of interest span many topics at the forefront of cancer research and treatment, including:

• Diagnostics and imaging
• Experimental therapeutics
• Cancer treatments in dogs and cats
• Infectious agents and immunology
• Molecular biology and cancer genetics

At the Forefront of Cancer Research

In 2003, faculty at the College of Veterinary Medicine received a $9.8 million dollar grant from the National Cancer Institute to study how viruses cause cancer, how they may be used to fight cancer, and how the body's immune system recognizes and reacts to viral infection. The grant, one of the largest at the university, will support various investigations at Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center and our college's Center for Retrovirus Research.

Other cancer-related research currently conducted by faculty at the College of Veterinary Medicine focuses on common types of cancer found in animals and humans, including leukemia, lymphoma, and cancers of the lung, breast, bladder and bone. The research we do with animals not only benefits animal health but also contributes to knowledge in the field of human cancer medicine.