One in four dogs will be impacted by cancer, and cancer is the top cause of death in dogs over the age of two.
ELIAS Animal Health, an Olathe-based bioscience company, is hoping its new immunotherapeutic product can help in the fight against cancer in companion animals. Preliminary results are encouraging.
At the 2018 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum in June, ELIAS said that its new ELIAS autologous cancer vaccine to treat canine osteosarcoma (bone cancer) demonstrated longer median survival times and minimal side effects. The company is distributing the immunotherapeutic as an experimental product to veterinarians treating dogs diagnosed with cancer.
The company will release final results of the study later this year and present its findings at the Veterinary Cancer Society conference in October.
“There has been growing frustration in the veterinary profession with current treatment options, including chemotherapy and radiation, which have only modestly improved outcomes over the past 20 years,” said Dr. Noe Reyes, ELIAS’ medical director in a news release. Reyes also said the company is eager “starting our pivotal osteosarcoma trial evaluating this T cell-based immunotherapy in a broader population.”
Elias Animal Health, a subsidiary of TVAX Biomedical, developed ELIAS Cancer Immunotherapy, a treatment protocol that vaccinates the dog with its own cancer cells to produce an immune response. The company has raised more than $2.7 million for investors, including funding from the Mid-America Angels in May 2017.
“Completing this clinical trial is a significant milestone for ELIAS,” said Tammie Wahaus, CEO of ELIAS. “We are extremely grateful to the clinicians, staff and pet parents for their outstanding commitment and contributions to the development of a new treatment option for canine osteosarcoma. It has been very rewarding to receive such positive feedback from pet parents regarding quality of life and extended duration of life versus the outcomes they were expecting.”
Veterinarians interested in more information on the clinical program can visit ELIAS Animal Health or contact clinicaltrials@eliasah.com. Interested investors may contact info@eliasah.com.
