Benefits of Participation

There are a number of benefits to having a client’s pet participate in a clinical trial:

• You are assured the animal will receive care from a highly specialized support team, who monitor the animal’s health very closely.
• Some of the cost of participating in the trial including medications, blood tests and follow-up may be covered, easing the financial burden of the client.
• The pet gains access to cutting-edge therapies that are not otherwise available, providing hope for owners, a better quality of life for the pet or even additional years to live.

Above all, many clients find a great sense of reward knowing that they are helping other animals and contributing to the advancement of veterinary medicine.

Strict Review and Protocols are in Place

Each trial is led by one principal investigator (PI), who may often be supported by several co-investigators providing the most comprehensive expertise. Currently there just over 70 clinical trials ongoing at Cummings School, all of which have a master plan called a protocol that has undergone rigorous evaluation by the School’s animal review board known as the Clinical Science Review Board (CSRC).

After speaking to personnel with intimate knowledge of the protocol, and prior to entering their animal into a study, all clients must sign informed consent statements.  This informed consent includes details about the treatments and tests their animal will receive and a summary of the benefits and risks.

Most often the clients will return to the Foster Hospital for follow-up care, although some clinical studies are so simple that they may only involve sampling at a single point in time.  Since many therapies represent new treatment approaches, it is important that the animals adhere to strict protocol guidelines to minimize the possibility of side effects.  Any new treatments may have side effects, some which may be anticipated or others that are not expected.

Clinical Trials Underway

Cummings Veterinary Medical Center’s Clinical Studies Lab has a broad array of trials currently underway, some of which are exploring:

• Allogeneic Umbilical Cord Tissue (Wharton Jelly) Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Chronic Valvular Disease and Associated Congestive Heart Failure
• Canine Protein- losing Nephropathies-Effect of UC-MSCs on 90 Day Survival
• Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) in the Boxer: a Pilot Study

A comprehensive and updated list can be found at our clinical trial web site (http://sites.tufts.edu/vetclinicaltrials/). Inclusion and exclusion criteria for each study are also specified so you can quickly determine if your patient might be eligible.

The Clinical Studies Lab is staffed full-time by two registered veterinary technicians, Diane Welch and Sarah Cass, who together have more than four decades of experience working with clinical patients.

The success of any clinical study depends entirely on recruitment and enrollment of an appropriate population of patients. We will keep you informed throughout the clinical study and our goal is always to return your patients to you for ongoing and continued care once the study is complete.  We look forward to working with you to bring your clients the most state-of-the-art and innovative therapies and help improve the lives of your patients and those of future generations.

If you have any questions about a particular trial or your patient’s eligibility contact the Clinical Studies Labs by email at clinicaltrials@tufts.edu.