Technological projects portfolio

Despite the considerable number of dogs that develop solid tumors during their lifetime, few treatments have been developed and optimized specifically for this purpose.

The use of chemotherapy agents developed for humans is not optimal for veterinary use, as they often require prolonged hospitalization during each treatment cycle to prevent owners from coming into contact with feces or urine containing the cytotoxic agent.

Canine immunotherapy is currently under development and will not be widely available due to its likely high cost. If used, a specific combination therapy would be beneficial for the survival of dogs.

There is therefore a real need to develop appropriate treatments that take into account the quality of life of the animal and its owner without compromising the effectiveness of the treatments.

The active ingredient developed in the WOOF project has already been used in humans for another indication via systemic administration. A formulation will be optimized for local treatment of the tumor with subtoxic doses at the systemic level. In a tumor context, it has been shown that the active ingredient, although administered locally, also has a distant effect on sites of secondary tumors. Animal feces and urine should not contain any agents that are potentially dangerous to humans, allowing for “outpatient” care and thereby improving the well-being of the animal and its owner.

The WOOF project aims to demonstrate the clinical efficacy in dogs. Initially indicated for squamous cell carcinomas, then melanomas, the product could be applied to all solid tumors in dogs. The product will also be a good candidate for combination with the first canine Anti-PD1 currently under development in the veterinary industry. Use against tumors in other species is of course possible.