VCA Animal Hospitals and University of Washington Take On Aging in Dogs
July 20 2016 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Rapamycin may increase the life span of pets by
delaying age-related diseases
VCA Animal Hospitals, the nation’s largest animal hospital
chain, continues to support clinical research with their Clinical
Studies program. VCA’s most recent study - completed in April 2016
– was done in collaboration with Dr. Matt Kaeberlein, a biology of
aging researcher at University of Washington, and involved testing
the safety of a drug called Rapamycin in dogs for the first time.
Rapamycin has been shown to delay disease onset in mice and has
been previously approved for use in human transplant patients.
The study was conducted at VCA Veterinary Specialty Center of
Seattle by a team led by Dr. Karen Kline, VCA medical director and
Dr. Heidi MacLean, cardiology specialist. Dr. Kline was in charge
of performing physical exams on all patients, blood draws and
interpretations, and communication with owners. Dr. MacLean
performed echocardiograms on all patients and was responsible for
measurements and interpretation. Dogs that were found to have any
abnormalities in pre-study testing were excluded from
participation. The study was a tolerability and safety study of the
medication and used variable doses and placebo.
Dr. Kline found the findings of the study to be meaningful and
multilevel. “I found that the human-animal bond is so deep in dog
owners that they want to extend and help their companions live
longer. It also allowed us to validate early detection of cardiac
and metabolic abnormalities that in and of itself can extend
lives.”
While Rapamycin is not currently approved for use in dogs, Dr.
Kline added: “This study is an essential building block to confirm
safety which will then allow a study of the prolongation of aging
in a much larger population of dogs. The implications are exciting
for a range of domestic animals if drug safety and minimal side
effects can be proven.”
The VCA Clinical Studies program started three years ago and has
coordinated a large number of studies for various industry
sponsors. The program also performs non-sponsored studies with
various VCA clinicians, residents and interns for the advancement
of research in clinical animal care.
Dr. Philip Bergman, VCA director of clinical studies said, “With
more than 600 hospitals nationally, of which about 10 percent are
ER/specialty hospitals, we have the ability to do these clinical
trials internally and externally in an efficient way. Our programs’
main goal is to move veterinary medicine forward and this latest
study is another great example of how partnerships between private
companies and universities are doing that.”
About VCA
VCA (NASDAQ: WOOF) is a leading provider of pet health care
services in the country delivered through over 600 small animal
veterinary hospitals (VCA Animal Hospitals) in the US and Canada, a
preeminent nationwide clinical laboratory system that services all
50 states and Canada (Antech Diagnostics), the leading animal
diagnostic imaging company in the market (Sound), and VetSTREET, a
leading provider of veterinary practice marketing solutions.
VCA hospitals are staffed by more than 3,000 fully qualified,
dedicated and compassionate veterinarians to give your pet the very
best in medical care. Over 400 of our doctors are board‐certified
specialists who are experts in areas such as Oncology, Cardiology,
Emergency & Critical Care, and Surgery for animals. VCA
provides a full range of general practice services to keep your pet
well and specialized treatments for when your pet is ill. For more
information on VCA Animal Hospitals, please visit
www.VCAhospitals.com or follow us on Twitter @vcapethealth.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160720005361/en/
Agnes Huff Communications GroupAgnes Huff, PhD,
310-641-2525ahuff@ahuffgroup.com
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