Research to focus on dog disease with ties to MS
$100,000 to study incurable degenerative disorder

By ROBIN HINDERY/Democrat staff Writer
Article Created: 07/11/2007 10:14:51 AM PDT


A national canine health foundation has awarded a UC Davis professor $100,000 to study an incurable degenerative disease in dogs that may have close links to multiple sclerosis in humans.
The grant, announced Monday by the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation, will allow Richard Vulliet of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine to conduct safety trials using adult stem cells in canines suffering from degenerative myelopathy, or DM, which is considered by many to be the canine equivalent to multiple sclerosis. It is also believed to be linked to amytrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

DM is a progressive disease of the spinal cord that results in weakness and paralysis in a matter of months. It is most common among older dogs, particularly German Shepherds, Welsh Corgis, Irish Setters and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. Currently, there is no treatment for DM beyond basic supportive measures to make the afflicted animal as comfortable as possible as the disease progresses.

Likewise, multiple sclerosis, which affects hundreds of thousands of people in the United States alone, is a degenerative disease of the nervous system that can lead to paralysis, blindness, cognitive impairment and other serious symptoms.

The link between the two diseases is still being explored, but similarities abound.

Vulliet, a doctor of veterinary medicine who specializes in neurological disorders, said he hopes his research will be able to "work both ways" to benefit humans as well as animals.

"The dogs in our study are getting a spin-off of human stem cell technology, but what we ultimately learn from the dogs can then benefit humans," he said.

Stuart Eckmann, vice-chairman of the Canine Health Foundation's grant committee, called Vulliet an "incredible, out-of-the-box thinker."

Vulliet's grant was the first stem cell grant the Canine Health Foundation has ever awarded, and is part of $18 million in grant money issued by the foundation so far this year, Eckmann said.

As part of his research, Vulliet will prepare adult bone marrow stem cells and will oversee clinical trials to administer the cells into canine spinal cords to try to delay the progression of DM. He will also conduct canine-focused research on dilated cardiomyopathy, a heart condition also found in humans.

"This is not just a wild idea," he said of his work. "There's enough evidence (from laboratory studies involving rodents) to justify this research, and there's a lack of alternative therapies to treat these conditions, other than putting the animals to sleep. We felt almost morally obligated to try (stem cell) therapies in dogs."

Many people familiar with DM and its devastating effects applauded news of the grant.

"Research like this is exciting," said Bruce Dennie, owner of the Woodland Veterinary Hospital and a doctor of veterinary medicine. He said his facility sees cases of DM on occasion, especially among German Shepherds.

"The disease is really disheartening, and right now, we can't offer (the animals) much more than mercy and care," Dennie said.

The Canine Health Foundation grant comes at a time when California is pushing forward aggressively in the field of stem cell research. In early 2005, Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, passed by a margin of nearly 20 percent and led to the establishment of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The institute provides $3 billion in funding for stem cell work at California universities and research institutions.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has declared its support for stem cell research, saying in an official statement that such research "holds great promise, potential and hope for people affected by MS." In January, the group co-hosted a stem cell research summit in San Francisco.

- Reach Robin Hindery at 406-6233 or rhindery@dailydemocrat.com
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_6349157