Organization: ANIMAL CANCER FOUNDATION
Mission: ACF develops and supports research that advances the prevention and treatment of cancer for people and pets. ACF focuses on furthering research in comparative oncology, which is the study of cancers that occur similarly in both companion animals and humans.To fund and develop research focused on the biologic similarity of cancer in pets and people that will expedite therapeutic and preventative benefits for both. Also, to inform the public and the scientific community about the biologic similarity of cancer in pets and people, and to communicate the ways in which comparative oncology will accelerate the treatment, prevention and ultimate eradication of cancer.The Canine Cancer Genome Project (CCGP) sponsored by Blue Buffalo Foundation and Animal Cancer Foundation seeks to map the seven most common canine cancer tumors and to place the datasets in the public domain for use by all cancer researchers.
Activities: The Canine Cancer Genome Project ("CCGP") sponsored by Animal Cancer Foundation (Research Project) has seven canine cancer tumor types as catalogued by Canine Comparative Oncology and Genomics Consortium ("CCOGC") for canine cancer genomic research. The ACF board of directors represented by pro-bono legal counsel at Eversheds Sutherland entered contract negotiations with a genomics laboratory (Principal Investigator) recommended to it by a scientific advisory council of leaders in veterinary and human oncology. The principal investigators will lead under their own sub-contracted agreements a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional group to conduct multi-platform genomic characterization of CCOGC cases and to prospectively collect additional samples for subsequent analysis in a separate research project to further enhance the existing research project generated canine cancer genome profiles. After being delayed by the COVID19 pandemic, contract negotiations resumed in early fall 2020 and a MASTER RESEARCH COLLABORATION AGREEMENT (the Agreement) was executed on February 22, 2021.ACF Comparative Oncology Grant Awards are annual research grants of $50,000 for comparative oncology research that provides near-term benefit to pets with cancer while offering possibilities of translation to human cancer research and treatment. The board of directors considers recommendations of the scientific advisory council, which solicits and meets to evaluate proposal. ACF enters grant agreements with the awarded institution and primary investigator prior to the award being made. The board of directors exercises its right to continue to support researchers whose work has been identified as qualified by the scientific advisory council.ACF conducts comparative oncology awareness campaigns (various) to provide information to the general public about the incidences of pet cancer, the similarities of human and canine cancer, ongoing research data in publication in the field of comparative oncology, and the need to develop robust science research in this area. Campaigns may be print, website, email, social media post, or participation at related events.ACF supports workshops, symposia and conferences furthering comparative oncology that have included the Veterinary Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ("VECOG"), the Veterinary Cancer Society ("VCS") annual conference and the National Academies of Sciences Medicine. Many of these were postponed in 2020 due to the COVID19 pandemic.
NTEE category: Medical Research
Secondary category: Animal-Related