The COP evaluates novel therapies in pet dogs with cancer to improve outcomes for human patients and established the Comparative Oncology Trial Consortium (COTC), a collaborative effort of NCI and extramural comparative oncology centers at 19 veterinary schools across the United States and Canada, with the goal to integrate naturally occurring cancer models into the development path of new cancer drugs for humans.
The COP complements translational research efforts through the characterization and use of relevant and naturally occurring cancer models that develop in pet animals.
Clinical Trials are being designed to include pet animals with naturally occurring cancers that give researchers relevant information on toxicity, response, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, dose, regimen, schedule, biomarkers, and responding histologies.
The COTC trials are based on collaboration and partnerships between academic institutions, the NCI, and the pharmaceutical industry. To date, ten studies have been completed. The COTC provides a highly efficient and rigorous mechanism for the drug development community to answer such questions and optimize the development path of new cancer drugs through multicenter collaborative studies.