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Feline oral squamous cell carcinoma is a common, aggressive mouth cancer in cats that is highly challenging to treat. At present, few cats survive more than six months, even with intensive treatment, highlighting the urgent need for new treatments to better care for these patients. Understanding which genes the tumors rely on for growth and survival would help identify new targets for drug therapy. To fill this knowledge gap, researchers will use state-of-the art gene editing techniques to screen for genes in cat cancer cell cultures to assess which genes are critical for growth of cancerous versus normal cells. The team then will identify the functions of these genes to see if existing drugs or experimental compounds can target the genes of interest. Findings will help pinpoint promising gene candidates for further study. This study is the first step in a drug development pipeline, with the longer-term aim of finding strategies to increase lifespan and enhance welfare of cats affected by devastating oral cancer.

Study ID
D23FE-022
Study Status
Active
Start Date
01/01/2023
Grant amount awarded
$74,892
Grant recipient
University of Edinburgh
Study country
United States
Investigator
Maciej Parys, DVM, PhD