Morris Animal Foundation D22CA-040 Progress Report 2024
Summary:
Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers at the University of California, Davis, are conducting a clinical trial to find out if the drug rapamycin can reverse negative heart changes associated with subvalvular aortic stenosis (SAS) in dogs.
The Problem:
SAS is one of the most common congenital heart defects in dogs and causes physical and functional changes in the heart, heart arrhythmias and frequently results in sudden death. No current medical therapy prolongs the lifespan of dogs with severe SAS beyond 4 to 5 years of age. The team hopes the novel rapamycin therapy may reduce disease severity and improve outcomes and quality of life for dogs with this devastating disease.
The Project:
The team will enroll 36 patients with severe SAS, with 12 each randomized into three study groups (placebo, low dose and target dose of rapamycin therapy). Once enrolled, each patient completes a six-month follow-up over three visits. All dog patients are receiving the highest quality of cardiology care for free which has resulted in some animals getting treatment that pet owners otherwise could not afford.
Project Update:
The study currently is in the recruitment and enrollment phase and the team has partnered with regional cardiologists to help with screening and enrollment efforts. So far the team has enrolled 26 dogs that have already completed the first visit. Twenty of these dogs have completed the entirety of the study with no major adverse events reported. The team anticipates to complete enrollment in the next six months. The investigators are blinded to study data so preliminary data is not available at this time.