Assistant Professor of Neurology University of Minnesota St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
Disclosure(s):
Susan A. Arnold, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology): No financial relationships to disclose
French bulldogs are not only currently the most popular dog breed in the United States, but they are also one of the breeds most often afflicted with gliomas. Gliomas are primary brain tumors that are most common in brachycephalic dog breeds that belong to the bulldog clade, including French bulldogs, boxers, Boston terriers, and English bulldogs. In the majority of dogs, these gliomas are aggressive and histopathologically characterized as high-grade tumors. Treatment options for these tumors are limited, and none provides long-term survival benefit. Canine high-grade glioma (HGG) is a strong model for human glioblastoma (GB), which is the most common, aggressive primary brain tumor in people. In effect, a variety of clinical trials for HGG-bearing pet dogs have been developed. In immunotherapy-based clinical trials, a clear survival disparity was observed in French bulldogs compared to all other dog breeds, including breeds of similar lineage. Compared to other breeds, the median survival time of French bulldogs was markedly worse than other immunotherapy-treated dogs. This observation prompted a comprehensive RNA sequencing evaluation of the tumors of these dogs. This presentation provides the results of this RNA sequencing evaluation, demonstrating that the tumor transcriptomes of French bulldog HGG is different from the transcriptomes of other breeds, and that French bulldog tumors respond differently to immunotherapy treatment than other breeds. This is critically important information, not only for guiding the welfare of the French bulldog breed, but also for informing human GB clinical trials that are dependent on data gained from canine HGG clinical trials.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion, participant will be able to appreciate that French bulldog high grade glioma is genetically different from other breeds' high grade glioma.
Upon completion, participant will be able to identify key transcriptomic differences in French bulldog high grade glioma compared to other breeds.
Upon completion, participant will be able to consider possible reasons that French bulldog high grade glioma displays a different transcriptomic profile than other breeds.
