Progress

A recent article in the New York Times discusses a new clinical trial trend: dogs with cancer are enrolled in trials of cancer drugs which are ultimately being researched for humans. It's a win-win situation, as dogs then have access to more effective, potentially live-saving treatment while paving the way for better human drugs.

I'm glad to hear of it. I wish, though, this had been an option for Ebony a few years ago.

There's an interesting quote in the article which alerted me to how inhumane experimentation with mice typically is.

Dogs can also provide a valuable supplement to information from mouse studies. The history of the war on cancer is full of drugs that worked in mice but not in people. That is partly because the tumors used in mouse studies are somewhat artificial, often injected into mice whose immune systems have first been disabled. In pet dogs, as in people, the cancer arises spontaneously and the immune systems are functioning.

I had no idea. Disabling their immune systems? Sounds extreme, and cruel.