Comparative Immunotherapy Program News

Alan Kelly International Canine Health Award 2024

Dr. Nicky Mason, Paul A. James and Charles A. Gilmore Professor of Medicine & Pathobiology, received the Kennel Club Charitable Trust’s 2024 Alan Kelly International Canine Health Award in recognition of her translational research program on canine patients with spontaneous cancer. Dr. Cindy Otto, professor of Working Dog Sciences & Sports Medicine, was also recognized by the Kennel Club with the 2024 Special Recognition Award for her work in advancing the health and wellbeing of working dogs. The Kennel Club Charitable Trust funds a spectrum of canine health programs and administers the International Canine Health Awards, which are supported by Vernon and Shirley Hill, long-time supporters of Penn Vet.

ESVONC 2024 in Bucharest

In May 2024, Dr. Mason presented four talks at the European Society of Veterinary Oncology’s annual meeting in Bucharest, Romania. ESVONC encourages research, furthers education, and facilitates communication about comparative oncology.

Targeted therapies and iNKT cells: Innovative Engineering in Human and Canine Immunotherapy to meet Ever-Emerging Challenges in Cancer Care.
Targeted therapies in Cancer Management: Monoclonal antibodies and checkpoint inhibition harness immune power to eliminate cancer.
Comparative approaches to improve efficacy and availability of adoptive cell therapies for canine cancer patients.
The hunt for correlative biomarkers of immunotherapeutic response - knowing who will respond before treatment.

Steps to Cure Sarcoma Fundraiser

On Sunday, May 19, the Penn Vet Comparative Immunotherapy Program's "Canine Cancer Crushers" team participated in the tenth annual Steps to Cure Sarcoma fundraiser at Wilson Farm Park in Wayne, PA. The 5k walk/run has raised more than $1 million over the years for basic and translational sarcoma research at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the Perelman School of Medicine, and the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In the US, about 16,000 people are diagnosed with sarcoma each year. However, it's more common in dogs, with over 15,000 pet dogs affected annually, especially with bone sarcoma (or osteosarcoma). This year's event raised more than $250,000, and funds from this event will support two canine projects within the comparative immunotherapy program that will lead to implementing clinical trials in dogs with osteosarcoma and melanoma that aim to benefit canine patients and inform future trials in human patients.

A group of people in blue shirts at outside event

SebastianStrong Discovery Grant Awarded

Each year, The SebastianStrong Foundation commits to driving pivotal advancements in childhood cancer research through our Discovery Science Award. This initiative showcases our investment in groundbreaking research that promises to significantly reshape the pediatric cancer treatment landscape. Through a rigorous selection process led by our esteemed Medical Advisory Board, composed of some of the nation’s leading pediatric oncologists, we have identified research endeavors that promise to redefine our approach to cancer treatment. Dr. Nicola Mason and Dr. Antonia Rotolo lead one such project at the University of Pennsylvania, aiming to pioneer a novel osteosarcoma treatment using comparative oncology and Chimeric Antigen Receptor invariant Natural Killer T (CAR iNKT) cell therapy. Read More

Penn Sarcoma Program Awards

Antonella Rotolo, MD, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Immunobiology in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, has received a $50,000 one-year grant from the Penn Sarcoma Program. The goal of this pilot study is to investigate epigenetic and transcriptional manipulation of osteosarcoma-associated antigens as a strategy to potentiate the efficacy of cellular immunotherapy. Eighty compounds will be screened and evaluated using a ‘cell painting’ strategy to enable visualization of each drug’s molecular effects on the cells. This study will be conducted within the Comparative Immunology Program and in collaboration with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Center for Development of Therapeutics.

Combined VMD/PhD degree student Kay Foos, Nicola Mason, BVetMed, PhD, Professor of Medicine in the Department of Pathobiology at the SVM, and Daniel Powell, PhD, Professor of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at the PSOM have received a $50,000 one-year grant from the Penn Sarcoma Program. This award to members of the Comparative Immunotherapy Program will support investigation of a novel genetic engineering approach to augment the effector function of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes within the tumor microenvironment of patients with osteosarcoma.

UPenn presents research at World Veterinary Cancer Congress in Japan

The World Veterinary Cancer Congress is an international conference held every four years with a goal of improving and developing the level of education in veterinary oncology around the world. Researchers and leaders in various fields of veterinary oncology from around the world gather to share knowledge and hold important discussions on the status of the latest findings in veterinary oncology. Nicola Mason, BVetMed, PhD, Professor of Medicine in the Department of Pathobiology at the SVM presented as a keynote speaker. Antonella Rotolo, MD, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Immunobiology in the Department of Pathobiology at the SVM gave a talk entitled ‘Allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor invariant NKT cells for the treatment of canine and human solid tumors.’ Dr. Sho Yosimoto, a postodoctoral fellow in Dr. Mason’s laboratory, presented on ‘A PD-1/CD28 chimeric switch receptor augments canine chimeric antigen receptor T cell function against PD-L1 expressing target cells,’ while combined VMD/PhD degree student Kay Foos, also of the Mason laboratory, presented a poster on ‘Adapting tumor infiltrating lymphocyte therapy for the treatment of solid tumors in canines.’