Dr. Rose Fife and Carmen Procter have been highly successful at growing human osteosarcoma cells in cell cultures. Metalloproteinases are enzymes used for tumor invasion and angiogenesis. It appears that this block of angiogenesis occurs at the level of the RNA expression in some anti-angiogenesis drugs and at the level of the enzyme in a second group. These two different mechanisms of action were demonstrated by giving both drugs together and finding that the two drugs worked twice as well together than if given separately. Fife, Rougraff, and David Waters are currently trying these drugs in dogs with spontaneously occurring osteosarcomas.
Dogs get osteosarcomas more frequently than humans and their disease is very similar.
Dr. David Waters, a veterinarian at Purdue, has been working with researchers at Indiana University looking at several areas of research. The PET scanner has been used to study the effectiveness of chemotherapy as a non-invasive technique to assess tumor kill rate. He is also working with Dr. Mervyn Cohen to assess the accuracy of Chest CAT scans in locating lung metastases. And finally, Dr. Waters is working with Drs. Fife and Rougraff on a clinical trial of an anti-angiogenesis drug given to dogs with osteosarcomas.