Canine and human tumours 'share features' in analytical chemistry findings

The findings of analytical chemistry undertaken using gel electrophoresis at Michigan State University suggest shared features between tumours in dogs and humans.

A team looked into gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) in canine and human subjects, applying analytical chemistry to determine how similar or different they are.

With a number of shared characteristics between GISTs in the two species, they suggest that canine tumours can offer a useful model for further research into how cancer in humans might respond to specific conditions.

The study focused in particular on c-KIT exon 11, which showed aberrant bands during the gel electrophoresis stage in six of 17 canine GISTs analysed.

Similarity between the mutation seen in exon 11 in dogs and that of human patients led the team to conclude that the tumours behave in comparable ways in each species.

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