The Colorado State University Research Foundation and NeoTREX entered into an exclusive license agreement last month with Veterinary Diagnostics Institute(VDxI) of Irvine, Calif., for development of a biomarker assay that detects canine hemangiosarcoma.
The technology was co-developed by faculty members at the Animal Cancer Center, part of the Cancer Supercluster at CSU, and investigators at VDxI. The biomarker assay will be used to detect levels of the enzyme thymidine kinase in dogs using a simple blood test. Hemangiosarcoma occurs most often in large-breed dogs older than 8 years of age, often resulting in internal hemorrhaging leading to death. Other than ultrasound, there are no other diagnostic methods to detect hemangiosarcoma in dogs. Researchers anticipate that biomarker assay will be adopted by veterinary clinicians as an early detector of the disease.
There are currently more than 75 million pet dogs in the United States. Nearly half of all dogs older than ten die from cancer. VDxI plans to develop the technology and co-market with another technology to detect lymphoma in dogs. Veterinary Diagnostics Institute is a specialty veterinary reference laboratory focused on providing veterinarians with specialty diagnostic tests.
NeoTREX is the enterprise arm of the Cancer Supercluster at Colorado State University. The goal of NeoTREX is to translate research discoveries into products that aid in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. NeoTREX is a division of CSU Ventures, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.
