My research has always been anchored in the clinic. I proceed from the animal's own best interest and to optimize health and animal welfare. Many times there are parallels to corresponding diseases in humans. Then we can benefit from increased knowledge, both for animals and humans. This type of research is called “comparative” or “translational medicine”. My main focus is different types of cancer research. It can be divided into understanding the emergence of cancer (oncogenesis), identification of risk factors and thereby the possibility of cancer prevention, cancer diagnostics and the development of new cancer treatments.
In 2004 I attended one of the first canine and feline genetics conferences in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Here, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh was one of the Key Note Speakers and described a study to map the entire dog's DNA sequence! I was invited by her to lecture about dogs, cancer, and possible parallels to similar types of cancer in humans at the Broad Institute in Boston, USA later that year. After that lecture, I met Broad's leader Prof Eric Lander, who gave me a one-year grant to diagnose and collect cancer samples from dogs at SLU! This was the starting point for a deeper collaboration between SLU and the Broad Institute in general, which has led to countless fantastic projects and a multitude of dissertations, not only in cancer, but also in many other disease complexes. We have since expanded the collaboration to include many other types of animals, e.g. horses and of course the lovely cats! At SLU and Uppsala University, we have a dog- and feline genome project and a dog and cat biobank. I have continued to work with Prof Kerstin Lindblad-Toh and she is currently, among other things, co-supervisor to a PhD-student of mine. Within genetics, I have mainly worked with trying to find genetic risk factors. These can be used both to increase the understanding of why certain tumors arise and here lead to the development of new targeted therapies. But also to catch animals (and people) at an early stage that are at increased risk of suffering from cancer. Here, these individuals can then be selected for a higher degree of examinations in order to detect the cancer as early as possible. Then you have a greater opportunity to treat it successfully.
In animals, knowledge of genetic risk factors can also lead to the fact that in the long run we can reduce the incidence of cancer, as through wise planning, individuals with a high risk of developing cancer are not mated. In all forms of breeding planning, however, one must also always consider the risk of simultaneously increasing the incidence of other, unwanted diseases. My group has a good collaboration with a number of fantastic and dedicated dog breed clubs, where tumor diseases have been identified as a particularly big health problem. We work actively to try together to understand the reasons for this and find ways to reduce the occurrence of tumors. This is because it is a major quality of life problem to get cancer and it is difficult for the entire dog owner family to be affected by these sad news.
Early diagnosis is central to being able to treat cancer successfully. Within this research, I work with the development of so-called biomarkers - mostly in blood. I have worked a lot investigating the protein thymidine kinase 1 (TK1), which is important for cell division. When you suffer from cancer, the amount of TK1 in the blood increases and we can analyze this with different methods. I have published articles for TK1 in cancer in dogs, cats and horses.
I started a collaboration with the company PetDX in the USA, which has developed an analysis method to find tumor DNA in the blood of dogs. This technique is also called "liquid biopsy" and will certainly start to be used more in human and veterinary medicine in the coming years. I have since switched to collaborating with a European company (CanCan Diagnostics) in the same branch where we now analyze samples from dogs with mammary tumors.
Different forms of treatment techniques are very important to study. This is because we should constantly strive to find more effective methods that at the same time produce fewer side effects. For several years, I worked part-time as Chief Medical Officer in animal health at a company that developed new cancer treatment for dogs and humans. During this period, I was part of the organization developing a new treatment for ovarian cancer in women that was finally registered and approved by the EMA, the European Medicines Agency. The basis for this development was, among other things, successful clinical studies in dogs with tumors, which were also carried out at SLU.
Today, we strive more and more for individualized therapy, so-called “precision medicine”. In cancer treatment, we target specific mutations in the cancer for which we can find a specific treatment (so-called "targeted therapy"). Use of the body's own immune system has gained a huge interest! Here too, with the help of fantastica and inspiring collaborations with human oncology groups, I have carried out clinical studies on dogs with severe cancer. With Uppsala University and the University of Helsinki, we have used so-called oncolytic virus therapy with genetic engineering to stimulate the immune system to attack malignant melanomas.
Another immunotherapy project is CAR-T. Here, the patient's own immune cells (T cells) are armed with a receptor that recognizes a target that is expressed specifically on the patient's tumor. The technology is already used today for blood cancer in humans (lymphoma and acute leukemia). But it is also hoped to develop CAR-T that works for so-called "solid tumors". These include brain tumors, malignant melanoma and mammary tumors (breast cancer). Together with the Sahlgrenska Cancer Center in Gothenburg, we have so far treated a number of dogs with high grade tumors (such as malignant melanoma) and for some dogs have succeeded in slowing tumor development for a long time with good quality of life.
We also have a couple more immunotherapy projects under development and it is so stimulating to work with such motivated, talented people and to be able to help our fabulous dogs at the clinic with their nice pet owners. What actively prevents us from being able to perform more advanced treatments is a lack of funds. We need more active vets and others within our group if we are to catch up - because the need is immense! However, it is unfortunately difficult to get money for veterinary medical research. These studies are so advanced that a great deal of knowledge about tumor disease in animals is required. Therefore, it is perfect to conduct the research at the SLU University Animal Hospital, where we have access to so many other talented specialists and advanced technology. This is to optimize the situation for our patients.
Many of my projects are in various aspects of precision medicine. The latest example is 3D printing of pharmaceuticals. In my lab at SLU, I have installed a 3D printer from Curify labs in Finland. I have several research projects underway, both in veterinary medicine, but also in collaboration with Uppsala University. With 3D printed drugs, patient-unique formulations can be designed. In veterinary medicine, this is important, as many of the substances we use are human registered and may not be available in strengths adapted to our patients. Sometimes the medicines also have such a strong taste that they are difficult to give to animals. Both of these problems can be circumvented with individually adapted 3D printing of medicines. In addition, we will investigate how hard-to-dissolve substances can be reformulated to be absorbed by the body. Right now I have a couple of masters students in the lab who have already confirmed the great advantage of 3D printing medicine that is given to children today by crushing tablets and then dissolving the powder in liquid to give a certain amount of this to the patient. By instead 3D-printing the medicine, a much higher level of safety is achieved in whatever dose is given. This reduces the risk of serious side effects and ensures that the patient receives the correct dose, so that the desired treatment effect is obtained! Another advantage is that time-consuming manual handling of tablets disappears, which creates space for staff in both veterinary and human medicine to have more time for patients!
