Deborah W. Knapp

Naturally-Occurring Invasive Urothelial Carcinoma in Dogs, a Unique Model to Drive Advances in Managing Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer in Humans

Frontiers in Oncology · 2020 · 127 citations

There is a great need to improve the outlook for people facing urinary bladder cancer, especially for patients with invasive urothelial carcinoma (InvUC) which is lethal in 50% of cases. Improved outcomes for patients with InvUC could come from advances on several fronts including emerging immunotherapies, targeted therapies, and new drug combinations; selection of patients most likely to respond to a given treatment based on molecular subtypes, immune signatures, and other characteristics; and…

Phase I/II Trial of Vemurafenib in Dogs with Naturally Occurring, <i>BRAF</i> -mutated Urothelial Carcinoma

Molecular Cancer Therapeutics · 2021 · 25 citations

-mutated canine InvUC offers an important complementary animal model to improve BRAF-targeted therapies in humans.

Identification of a naturally-occurring canine model for early detection and intervention research in high grade urothelial carcinoma

Frontiers in Oncology · 2022 · 19 citations

Background: Early detection and intervention research is expected to improve the outcomes for patients with high grade muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (InvUC). With limited patients in suitable high-risk study cohorts, relevant animal model research is critical. Experimental animal models often fail to adequately represent human cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine the suitability of dogs with high breed-associated risk for naturally-occurring InvUC to serve as relevant models…

Lactic acid inhibits the interaction between PD-L1 protein and PD-L1 antibody in the PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy-resistant tumor

Molecular Therapy · 2024-12-31 · 16 citations

Leading the pack: Best practices in comparative canine cancer genomics to inform human oncology

Veterinary and Comparative Oncology · 2023-10-01 · 15 citations

Pet dogs develop spontaneous cancers at a rate estimated to be five times higher than that of humans, providing a unique opportunity to study disease biology and evaluate novel therapeutic strategies in a model system that possesses an intact immune system and mirrors key aspects of human cancer biology. Despite decades of interest, effective utilization of pet dog cancers has been hindered by a limited repertoire of necessary cellular and molecular reagents for both in vitro and in vivo studies…