Understanding how MYC Expression Influences Canine Osteosarcoma

SUMMARY: Researchers will study MYC expression in canine osteosarcoma to learn if it is linked to survival in dogs and could be leveraged to determine prognosis.

THE PROBLEM: Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer of dogs and people. It has a habit of spreading from its original site within the bone to distant sites in the body, leading to patient mortality. The treatment, involving surgery and chemotherapy, has remained relatively unchanged for over 30 years in dogs and over 50 years in people; patient life expectancy has not significantly improved in a very long time, and new treatment strategies are desperately needed. 

THE PROJECT: Genes that control normal cell growth are sometimes abnormal in cancer cells, which can be why cancer cells are able to grow uncontrollably. MYC is one of these genes and sometimes cancer cells have extra copies of it. In humans, when a patient’s bone cancer has extra copies of MYC it is associated with shorter patient life expectancy. It has also been shown that knowing the number of MYC copies in human bone cancer cells can predict how sensitive the cells will be to treatment with certain drugs in experimental cancer models. Performing tests in cancer models (e.g., cell lines, mice) must occur before drugs can be tested in human patients. The team’s goal is to uncover whether the amount of MYC in a tumor is also relevant for dogs with bone cancer. First, they’ll determine how much MYC is in canine bone tumors and check whether the amount of MYC is associated with how long the dogs live after diagnosis. They will also check how much MYC is in canine bone cancer cell lines. Finally, the team will compare how human and canine bone cancer cells with or without extra MYC respond to a specific drug. Knowing if the amount of MYC in canine bone tumors is linked to survival time could potentially result in the development of a new test to help predict patient outcome.

POTENTIAL IMPACT: Uncovering whether bone cancer cells with increased MYC respond differently to the test drug in the team’s cancer model is a step in the direction of developing new treatment strategies for patients with osteosarcoma and could benefit both dogs and people.