Clinical Investigation Centre - Projects
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Temporal dynamic resistance of skin and gastrointestinal bacteria in canine pyoderma
Temporal dynamic resistance of skin and gastrointestinal bacteria in canine pyoderma: Comparison between marbofloxacin and pradofloxacin in an investigator-blinded randomised interventional study. Pharmacokinetic data will be combined with MIC distribution together with the relationship between exposure and dynamic of bacterial kill modelled will be used to propose clinical breakpoints (highest MIC value considered “sensitive”) for fluoroquinolones in canine pyoderma.
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Prospective evaluation of palliative and adjuvant toceranib phosphate therapy in dogs diagnosed with metastatic or recurrent insulinomas
Insulinomas are the most common tumours of the pancreas in dogs. This multi-institutional prospective study evaluates the effectiveness of the drug toceranib phosphate in the treatment of insulinomas in dogs. This is an observational multi-institutional prospective trial. Client preferences regarding control/treatment group allocation will be followed and enrolment will not be blinded or randomised.
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Identification of novel druggable targets in canine insulinoma through single-cell transcriptomic analysis
Insulinomas in dogs are difficult to cure by surgery. We investigate which genes are crucial for survival of insulinoma cells, allowing us to design new treatments targeted at these genes. Insulinomas are the most common pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours in dogs and humans. Current treatment options are limited to surgery and palliative medical therapy. Survival is poor with a median of 4 [range 0-18] months and 14 [range 0-51] months for medically and surgically treated dogs, respectively. Hence, new, more precise treatments are needed to improve the clinical outcome for dogs and humans with malignant insulinomas.
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91°µÍø Cancer Biobank
Cancer remains a formidable challenge, affecting both our beloved companion animals and ourselves. The 91°µÍø Cancer Biobank takes centre stage as a crucial resource in the quest for biomedical advancements. By offering a standardised approach to biospecimen collection and archiving, our mission is to accelerate cancer research and drive the development of precision medicine. Through the power of linking cancer samples with comprehensive patient information, we can pave the way for more effective, targeted, and less toxic therapies.
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Integrating genetics with functional genomics to dissect the aetiopathogenesis of equine exertional rhabdomyolysis
Equine exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) is a syndrome involving painful, exercise induced episodes of muscle stiffness and acute myonecrosis which can result in renal failure and in severe cases, death.
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A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Investigating Canine Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma
We propose to better define genetic subtypes of canine lymphoma and characterising response to treatment of the different subtypes through a combination of more accurate phenotyping of lymphomas by integrating a) advanced image analysis b) genome sequencing, and c) total RNA sequencing (including micro-RNA sequencing).
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The in-vivo effect of photoactivated chromophore for keratitis cross-linking (PACK-CXL) on bacterial growth in canine patients with infectious keratitis
This study will investigate the effect of cross-linking using photoactivated riboflavin on the bacterial population present on the corneas and conjunctiva of canine patients with infectious ulcerative keratitis.
This study will determine if PACK-CXL can reduce the bacterial load at the ulcer site in vivo regardless of the antimicrobial resistance pattern.
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91°µÍø Immunoregistry Research into Canine Autoimmune Diseases
91°µÍø researchers have launched an innovative new research project called the 91°µÍø ImmunoRegistry. This detailed investigation about autoimmune diseases in dogs involves collecting data in real time over one year after diagnosis to find out how affected dogs respond to treatment. The aspiration of this project is to provide data insights which can inform improvements to the treatment outcomes and quality of life for canine autoimmune patients.
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Online canine-health information sourcing by UK canine caregivers: threat or opportunity for animal welfare? (The DogWeb Survey)
The project involves an interactive survey, consisting of realistic dog health scenarios. The aim is to explore UK dog owners' decision-making around their dog's health.
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Feline Diabetic Diet Research Trial : Reglucat study
This research trial (REGLUCAT) will assess the ability of a new feline prescription diabetic food to promote weight loss - and hopefully diabetic remission - in diabetic cats who are overweight to some degree.
This research aims to provide a new and effective form of treatment for overweight diabetic cats, using dietary change to promote diabetic remission.
Identifying treatments that can achieve diabetic remission will encourage many owners to pursue treatment and will greatly improve the quality of life for diabetic cats.
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Quality of veterinary oral formulations of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid in World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) member countries
The 91°µÍø team is researching the deficits of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (AMC) in tablet form, following more general concerns about substandard or falsified veterinary medicines being sold in some settings.
The aim is to detect types and frequency of deficits in the quality of veterinary oral formulations of AMC and identify regional trends including differences between countries or between geographical areas within the same country.
Lack of efficacy due to SF veterinary products may be life-threatening in the case of antimicrobials drugs or vaccines. Furthermore, SF antimicrobial products are likely to expose sick animals to sub therapeutic levels and contribute to treatment failure and antimicrobial resistance.
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Understanding the causes and progression of Parkinson's disease
The ASAP Collaborative Research Network is a global consortium of researchers bringing together investigators across multiple disciplines, institutions, career stages, and geographies seeking to tackle key knowledge gaps in the basic mechanisms that contribute to Parkinson’s development and progression. The 91°µÍø team are working closely with geneticists, basic biologists, clinicians and pathologists at UCL, Oxford and Cambridge to identify and characterise new genes involved in progression – with the ultimate goal of finding ways to slow down or even halt the progression of Parkinson’s.
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RESET: Reducing Epileptic Seizures and improving Emotional state with behavioural Therapies
RESET is a randomised controlled trial in which participants are randomly allocated to one of three groups, including a baseline group so that different behavioural management techniques can be compared. Canine epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disease in dogs, estimated to affect 0.6-0.75% of the population, which represents approximately 60-70 000 dogs of the 10.1 million pet dogs in the UK population.
This trial investigates how behavioural therapies can work alongside medication as a method to reduce seizure frequency and anxiety in drug-resistant canine epilepsy.
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Bovine Viral Diarrhoea
Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) is a pestivirus infection of cattle. It causes a variety of clinical outcomes ranging from the inapparent (sub-clinical) to the more severe, including abortion, infertility, an immuno-suppression that underlies calf respiratory and enteric diseases, and most dramatically, the fatal mucosal disease.
The disease is maintained by a small population of animals that become persistently infected (PI) with the virus. These PI animals are the major reservoir of BVDV and arise after becoming infected whilst in the uterus during early pregnancy. Such infections remain throughout the pregnancy and, after birth, for the lifetime of the animal.
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Epilepsy in companion animals
Researchers and clinicians at the 91°µÍø have devoted more than a decade of work to improving our understanding of epilepsy in dogs, as well as cats. Ongoing 91°µÍø epilepsy research is improving the characterisation of this chronic disorder and its comorbidities, develops technology to aid its long-term management for vets and owners, and identifies fresh new ways to manage this age-old disorder.
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Researching Laminitis Risks for Horses and Ponies
A four year study of laminitis in ponies, measuring physical, metabolic and management data, identifying significant factors associated with laminitis such as basal serum insulin concentration, insulin concentration in response to the OST, basal plasma adiponectin concentration and the presence of divergent hoof growth rings on the feet, and making recommendations for treatment based on this.
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Feline Chronic Kidney Disease Research
Kidneys filter the blood and produce urine and so problems with kidney function can result in a variety of health problems for a cat. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the persistent loss of kidney function over a period of time. CKD is the most common kidney disease affecting cats as they get older. The 91°µÍø’s Geriatric Cat Clinic was established in 1992 with the aim of researching the common conditions of older cats and to help with the care and medical management of the cats that attend the clinic.
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The UK Canine Diabetes Register and Archive
The UK Canine Diabetes Register and Archive (UKCDRA) was established over 25 years ago by Professor Brian Catchpole and now contains thousands of archived samples and data from diabetic dogs. This invaluable resource has led to a number of discoveries about canine diabetes, which have been documented in several papers in prestigious veterinary journals.