Education
Resident Review Workshop
Thursday, October 12 – 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Sponsored by:
Dr. Daniel Gustafson, Colorado State University
Current and future prospects for cancer pharmacology in veterinary patients
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Speaker Notes: Part one (Click HERE) and Part two (Click HERE)
Presentation Synopsis: The use of drugs to treat cancer in veterinary patients is transitioning from a paradigm using cytotoxic drugs and drug combinations to one based on signaling dynamics including both tumor and non-tumor tissues and cells. The development and implementation of these types of targeted approaches includes incorporation of molecular diagnostics and defining subtypes of disease most likely to benefit from specific therapies. This lecture will focus on the role of pharmacology principles in the ever-evolving use of drugs to treat cancer and how lessons learned in human oncology drug development can be used to guide the approaches and studies critical to development of effective targeted therapies in veterinary patients.
About the Presenter: Dr. Gustafson is a professor of cancer pharmacology and director of the pharmacology core at Colorado State University, Flint Animal Cancer Center. He also holds the Shipley University Chair in Comparative Oncology. His research spans an extensive and diverse scope including cancer biology, drug discovery and activity modeling across species and experimental therapeutics. Dr. Gustafson leads the Pharmacology Shared Resource of the CCSG of the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center as well as the CCTSA Pharmacology Core at the University of Colorado Medical School.
Dr. Maciej Parys
From PCR to NGS: Understanding of different molecular techniques used in clinical settings
Time: 10:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Speaker Notes: (Click HERE)
Presentation Synopsis: This session will introduce the basics of molecular techniques used in clinical practice. The goal is to initially introduce to DNA types of mutations and how they are clinically applicable. Subsequently, molecular basis and techniques for tests such as PARR, c-KIT mutation testing or CADET-BRAF will be presented. Finally, next generation sequencing techniques and their application in somatic mutational testing or liquid biopsy will be discussed, including potential limitations of these techniques.
About the Presenter: Dr. Parys graduated from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland in 2009 then worked in private practice. In 2010 he started in a PhD program at Michigan State University, College of Veterinary Medicine where he studied immunomodulatory properties of feline mesenchymal stem cells and their clinical application in chronic feline idiopathic cystitis. In 2016, Dr. Parys relocated to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh to start a clinical lecturership position, which combines work in small animal internal medicine with research on identifying novel approaches to cancer immunotherapy. His research interests also include therapeutic use of stem cells in companion animals, use of next generation sequencing to identify disease causing genetic variants and pathways involved in disease pathogenesis in companion animals. In 2016 Dr. Parys was awarded an AVMA/AVMF Young Investigator Award for work on immunomodulatory properties of feline mesenchymal stem cells and in 2017 he was awarded an ABCD and Boehringher Ingelheim Young Scientist Award.