Comparison of Methadone or Morphine Continuous Rate Infusions, in combination with Detomidine, for dental and/or sinus surgery in standing horses
Principal investigator: Charlie Makepeace
Briefly, in this study we will recruit horses which need to undergo dental surgery at B&W’s Breadstone hospital. Reflecting current clinical practice this will be performed with the horse sedated and standing. Sedation will be provided by a detomidine variable rate infusion and either methadone (study drug) or morphine (clinical standard). Horses will receive nerve blocks and other analgesic drugs as appropriate for the procedure. We will compare the effects of the study drug on surgical conditions, dose of detomidine required, and post operative analgesia. We hope to refine the sedative technique for these common procedures and so improve horse welfare.
Using whole genome sequencing to validate a clinically relevant canine mammary tumour cell line manipulated by CRISPR/Cas9
Principal investigator: Grace Edmunds
Mammary-tumours are common amongst female dogs, surgery is the mainstay of treatment, and metastasis or local recurrence are a significant cause of mortality. Therefore, there is a need for effective drug therapies in canine mammary-tumours. A new generation of targeted therapies are available for BRCA1-deficient human breast-cancers, and defining the role of BRCA1 in canine mammary-tumours could allow them to be used in dogs. BRCA1 is a tumour-suppressor-gene in which rare, heritable mutations lead to a very high risk of mammary-tumours in some human families. Our group showed that certain dog breeds such as the Springer Spaniel are at increased risk of mammary-tumours versus other breeds. Using in silico analyses, we identified a haplotype of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BRCA1 that are carried by Springers. One SNP at Intron 12 is also carried by other at-risk dog breeds, suggesting that it is fundamental to canine mammary-tumour biology. To test our hypothesis, we are using CRISPR/Cas9 to manipulate a canine mammary-tumour cell line (REM134) such that it resembles a Springer Spaniel mammary-tumour cell in terms of its BRCA1 sequence.
Does the addition of therapeutic laser to physiotherapy treatment improve outcomes in dogs in the acute stage post TPLO surgery?
Principal investigators: Emily Ní Mhuilleoir and Issy Hill
Part of the patient caseload seen by the physiotherapy team at Langford Vets are canine inpatients who have undergone TPLO surgery within the previous 48 hours. Routine physiotherapy treatment consists of range of movement exercises, strengthening exercises and advice and education to dog owners. Research suggests that class IV laser may be beneficial in improving outcomes following cranial cruciate ligament repair surgery such as pain reduction and improved function. Laser therapy is a non-invasive, quick and painless modality which can be integrated into routine physiotherapy treatment. However, there are few published studies in dogs and conclusions are mixed. The evidence currently isn’t robust enough to definitively support the use of laser in these cases. The aim of the project is to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic Class IV Laser alongside routine physiotherapy treatment in canine patients post TPLO surgery in a clinical setting. We aim to investigate whether the addition of laser can affect pain scores, range of movement and functional use of the affected limb in the initial post operative period (initial 24-48 hours and 7-10 days post surgery).