10 U A B C O M P R E H E N S I V E C A N C E R C E N T E R

research update

B Y M A T T W I N D S O R

PET PROJECT H OW D O G S CO U L D H E L P H U M A N S F I G H T C A N C E R A N D V I C E V E R S A MAN S BEST FRIEND can fetch, sit and roll over. Now dogs may be about to perform their

greatest trick: helping humans fight cancer while treatments originally developed for humans

are helping dogs that are suffering from the disease.

Examinations of genetic-based canine diseases reveal that 58 percent or more are comparable

to human diseases, says UAB neurosurgeon and veterinarian Renee Chambers, D.V.M., M.D.

Investigating naturally occurring canine brain tumors provides a unique opportunity to

advance cancer research, she says.