Oncology

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Science of Veterinary Oncology Online Courses

Audience:	All ACVIM Diplomates and candidates	CE Hours:	Between 0.50-1.5 each
Specialty:	Oncology	Duration:	Between 30-105 minutes each
Type:	On Demand Lecture	Location:	Anywhere via ACVIM Online
Cost:	ACVIM Diplomates and candidates $0	Course Level:	Foundational
	ECEIM, ECVIM-CA, ECVN Diplomates and candidates $30 per CE hour
	Nonmembers $50 per CE hour

The ACVIM has developed nine (9) Science of Veterinary Oncology (SOVO) online courses that are currently available and complimentary for ACVIM members with five (5) more in development and coming soon. These modules offer foundational building blocks of core knowledge areas pertaining to veterinary oncology and were developed based on the Job Task Analysis review performed in 2016. All modules are led by industry experts and each module is RACE-approved.

All ACVIM Oncology Diplomates and Candidates have been automatically enrolled in each module and can access ACVIM Online using their ACVIM.org website login credentials and do not need to register. For helpful ACVIM Online navigation tips, check out the ACVIM Online Instructional Guide.

ACVIM Online

All other participants should complete the registration process. Purchase each course individually or buy the entire package.

Cancer Bioenergetics Douglass H. Thamm, VMD, DACVIM (Oncology)

Overview
One of the revised hallmarks of cancer is dysregulated energy metabolism. This session will cover the historical and modern concepts of glucose utilization and energy generation in cancer, how it may affect tumor cell behavior, and strategies for intervention.

Learning Objectives
• Compare the historical and modern concepts in cancer of glucose utilization and energy generation
• Discuss how glucose utilization and energy generation affects tumor cell behavior
• Identify strategies for intervention in cancer bioenergetics

Duration
60 minutes

Cost
$0 ACVIM Diplomates and Candidates
$30 ECEIM, ECVIM-CA, ECVN Diplomates and Candidates
$50 Nonmembers

RACE CE Hours
This module has been submitted and approved for 1.0 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE approval.

Presenter
Douglass H. Thamm, VMD, DACVIM (Oncology)
Barbara Cox Anthony Professor of Oncology
Director of Clinical Research
Colorado State University Flint Animal Cancer Center

Dr. Thamm is the Barbara Cox Anthony Professor of Oncology and Director of Clinical Research at the Colorado State University Flint Animal Cancer Center. He is also a member of the Developmental Therapeutics Section of the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program at Colorado State University.

Dr. Thamm received his Bachelor’s and VMD degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed an Oncology Residency at the University of Wisconsin and was a researcher there for 5 additional years before joining the faculty at CSU in 2004. He has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications and 20 book chapters in veterinary and basic cancer research, was Oncology Section Editor for the 2 most recent editions of Kirk’s Current Veterinary Therapy and is Co-Editor-In-Chief of the journal Veterinary and Comparative Oncology. His clinical and research interests include novel targeted therapies for animal and human cancer and ways to integrate these therapies with existing treatment.

Cancer Stem Cells Professor David Argyle, PhD and Lisa Pang, PhD

Overview
The cancer stem cell theory states that tumor growth is driven by a small number of dedicated cancer stem cells (CSCs). These cells are endowed with the ability to self-renew (leading to unlimited cell division and maintenance of the stem cell pool), differentiate into non-CSCs and are intrinsically resistant to conventional therapeutics. This theory explains the clinical observations of almost inevitable tumor relapse after initially successful chemo and/or radiotherapy, and metastasis. This module reviews the biology of CSCs and provides insights into CSC plasticity, interaction with the niche, tumor repopulation and clinical implications of therapeutic response.

Learning Objectives
• Explain the difference between the clonal evolution model and the CSC model
• Define a stem cell
• List the key characteristics of a CSCs
• Define cellular plasticity and explain why it is important within the tumor
• Describe the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition
• Explain the Warburg effect

Duration
75 minutes

Cost
$0 ACVIM Diplomates and Candidates
$30 ECEIM, ECVIM-CA, ECVN Diplomates and Candidates
$50 Nonmembers

RACE CE Hours
This module has been submitted and approved for 1.25 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE approval.

Presenters
Professor David Argyle, PhD
William Dick Chair of Veterinary Clinical Studies
The University of Edinburgh

David Argyle is a graduate of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from the University of Glasgow. He gained his PhD in Immunology and Oncology from the same department. He has served as a clinical academic for the Universities of Glasgow, Wisconsin-Madison and Edinburgh. He has served as Chair of Clinical Studies and as Postgraduate Dean for the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. In 2011 he was appointed William Dick chair of Veterinary Clinical Studies and Dean of Veterinary Medicine at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. He is also Deputy Head of College for The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. He is chair of the examination board for the ECVIM sub-specialty in Oncology. He is an RCVS and European recognized specialist in veterinary oncology, his major interests are cancer biology and comparative oncology. He was elected FRSE and FRCVS in 2016 for meritorious contributions to knowledge. He was elected FRSA in 2019 for contributions to social progress and development.

Lisa Pang, PhD
Research Fellow at The Roslin Institute
The University of Edinburgh
University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Pang completed her PhD in cancer cell signalling at the CRUK Cancer Research Centre and during her PhD she identified a novel p21 feedback loop in the regulation of p53. Dr. Pang subsequently worked at KuDOS Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge developing novel small molecule inhibitors against members of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase related kinase family, with the aim of sensitising cancer cells to DNA damage. Currently, Dr. Pang is a research fellow at The Roslin Institute and a member of The Comparative Oncology and Stem Cell Research Group at the University of Edinburgh. She teaches cell biology to graduate entry veterinary students and is a course organiser of the MSc Animal Biosciences course. The focus of Dr. Pang’s research is on unravelling the biology of cancer stem cells and further understanding the molecular mechanisms driving tumour repopulation after therapy.

Cell Signaling and Signal Transduction Inhibitors Cheryl London, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Oncology)

Overview
The objective of this module is to provide an overview of signal transduction in both normal and neoplastic cells, how dysregulated signaling contributes to tumor growth and methods used to target aberrant signaling in cancer cells. This module covers the following subjects:

• Normal signal transduction and cellular homeostasis
• Major signal transduction pathways in cells (PI3 kinase, MAP Kinase, etc.)
• Causes of dysregulated signaling in cancer cells (e.g., mutations, etc.)
• Role of dysregulated signaling in supporting cancer cell growth/survival
• Methods and mechanisms to aberrant signal transduction in cancer (e.g., small molecular inhibitors)
• Resistance to small molecule inhibitors
• Application of small molecule inhibitors to veterinary cancers

Duration
105 minutes

Cost
$0 ACVIM Diplomates and Candidates
$45 ECEIM, ECVIM-CA, ECVN Diplomates and Candidates
$75 Nonmembers

RACE CE Hours
This module has been submitted and approved for 1.5 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE approval.

Presenter
Cheryl London, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Oncology)
Anne Engen and Dusty Professor of Comparative Oncology, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and School of Medicine and School of Medicine at Tufts University
Associated Faculty Professor, Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Cheryl London, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology) is the Anne Engen and Dusty Professor of Comparative Oncology at The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and School of Medicine at Tufts University, as well as an Associated Faculty Professor at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine (OSU CVM). She is Director of the Veterinary Clinical Trials Office at the Cummings School and Director of the Research Collaboration Team and One Health Module at the Tufts Clinical Translational Science Institute.

Dr. London earned her DVM at Tufts University, completed her Residency in Medical Oncology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her PhD in Immunology at Harvard University, where she was also a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pathology. Following completion of her training, she was an Assistant Professor in the UC Davis Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine for six years. She then moved to The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine where she held the Thekla R. and Donald B. Shackelford Professorship in Canine Medicine. Dr. London’s research interests center primary on targeted therapeutics and she has over 25 years of experience in comparative and translational oncology drug development leveraging spontaneous models of cancer in dogs.

Discovery and Evaluation of Anticancer Drugs David Lowery, PhD

Overview
Pharmaceuticals are an important tool in the treatment of cancer. This module gives a high-level view of the history of anticancer drugs, a general idea of the current drug discovery process for both small and large molecule drugs, and what tools might be coming next for the veterinary oncologist.

Learning Objectives
• Gain a general knowledge of how a target-based drug discovery program works
• Gain a general knowledge of how a mAb-based drug is found
• Become familiar with some of the tools used to evaluate anticancer drugs during drug discovery
• Gain a general knowledge about the relationship between human drug discovery and how these drugs become available for veterinary use

Duration
30 minutes

Cost
$0 ACVIM Diplomates and Candidates
$15 ECEIM, ECVIM-CA, ECVN Diplomates and Candidates
$25 Nonmembers

RACE CE Hours
This module has been submitted and approved for 0.5 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE approval.

Presenter
David Lowery, PhD
Chief Product Development Manager
PetMedix

Dr. Lowery is currently the Chief Product Development Officer for PetMedix, a U.K.-based biotech that makes antibody drugs for Animal Health applications. He received a B.S. in Biochemistry from University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Iowa in 1988. David has worked in industrial pharmaceutical R&D his entire career (30+ years), working for larger pharmaceutical companies like The Upjohn Company, Pharmacia, Pfizer, Novartis, Elanco, Merial, and Boehringer Ingelheim. He has worked on vaccine, pharmaceutical, parasiticide, and biopharmaceutical projects. Although the majority of that time has been within the R&D departments of the Animal Health companies, the work has always been closely associated with a human health pharmaceutical partner.

Epigenetics of Cancer Jeffrey Bryan, DVM, MS, Phd, DACVIM (Oncology)

Overview
This module describes the common, currently understood epigenetic mechanisms of mammalian cells that contribute to carcinogenesis. It will explain an overall mechanism for each type of epigenetic modification and give specifics in veterinary oncology where they have been published. The student should be able to describe the effects of these epigenetic modifications on gene expression and cell function after this lecture.

Learning Objectives
• How DNA methylation contributes to cancer
• How histone changes contribute to cancer
• How miRNAs and IncRNAs contribute to cancer
• The clinical impact of epigenetic changes

Duration
60 minutes

Cost
$0 ACVIM Diplomates and Candidates
$30 ECEIM, ECVIM-CA, ECVN Diplomates and Candidates
$50 Nonmembers

RACE CE Hours
This module has been submitted and approved for 1.0 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE approval.

Presenter
Jeffrey Bryan, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (Oncology)
Associate Professor of Veterinary Oncology
Director of Comparative and Epigenetics Laboratory
The University of Missouri

Dr. Jeffrey Bryan’s research focuses on comparative examination of cancers in companion animals to better understand cancers in all species. Dr. Bryan is an associate professor of veterinary oncology and director of the Comparative Oncology and Epigenetics Laboratory. His particular areas of interest are targeted imaging and therapy and epigenetics of cancer. Targeted imaging and therapy agents take advantage of particular properties of cancer to deliver an imaging or therapy payload to tumors. Dr. Bryan is leading research projects studying an immunotherapy agent targeted to the low-oxygen environment of cancer, an herbal derivative that targets iron in tumors, and a nanoparticle chemotherapy targeted to the lymphatic drainage of cancer. The agents under evaluation are destined for use in both dogs and humans to treat lymphomas as well as solid tumors like sarcomas, head and neck cancer, and breast cancer. Each of these trials is designed to develop an approach that is less toxic and more effective than our current cancer treatments.

Dr. Bryan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in veterinary science from the University of California - Davis in 1991. He received his DVM from the University of California - Davis in 1993. He then worked as an Associate Veterinarian from 1993-1995, and then served as Medical Director of the Irving Street Veterinary Hospital in San Francisco, CA from 1995-2002. Dr. Bryan then completed a medical oncology residency, a Masters of Biomedical Sciences, and a PhD in Pathobiology at the University of Missouri. He received certification by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in Oncology 2005. He has been a research assistant professor at the University of Missouri and an assistant professor of Oncology at Washington State University prior to his current post at the University of Missouri. He is the Director of the Tom and Betty Scott Endowed Program in Veterinary Oncology, the Comparative Oncology Radiobiology and Epigenetics Laboratory, and the PET Imaging Center of the University of Missouri.

Genomic Instability Kelly R. Hume, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)

Overview
DNA damage response mechanisms protect mammalian cells from genomic instability and phenotypes such as aging and cancer. In contrast to normal cells, tumors exhibit extreme genomic instability, which can occur at the level of DNA as well as at the chromosomal level. This course reviews the causes and consequences of genomic instability, including manifestations in DNA and chromosomes; the course also provides a thorough review of cellular DNA damage response mechanisms, including detection of damage, checkpoint signaling, and recruitment of repair factors.

Learning Objectives
• List causes and consequences of genomic instability
• Define the following and explain their significance in cancer: chromosomal deletion, chromosomal translocation, chromosomal inversion, aneuploidy, polyploidy, internal tandem duplication and provide key examples
• Explain the difference between and the significance of somatic and germline mutations
• Describe the differences between single strand and double strand DNA breaks in terms of impact on the cell and repair processes involved
• Name the kinases involved in signaling for DNA damage
• Explain the following: mismatch repair, nucleotide excision repair, base excision repair, microsatellite instability. Name cancers or cancer syndromes associated with deficiencies in these repair processes
• Recognize the key players in checkpoint signaling and DNA repair including the DNA damage response pathway components that are currently undergoing evaluation as therapeutic targets

Duration
60 minutes

Presenter
Kelly R. Hume, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)
Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Sciences
Cornell University

Dr. Hume received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University. She completed a residency in medical oncology at North Carolina State University in 2008 and a research fellowship in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Cornell University in 2010. She is currently an associate professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Cornell University. Her research focuses on understanding how DNA damage response and repair pathways modulate tumor suppression and chemosensitivity, with the ultimate goal of determining how the genetics of a given tumor can be used to best manipulate therapeutic combinations.

Invasion and Metastasis Robert B. Rebhun, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Oncology)

Overview
Metastasis is a common cause of death in patients with solid tumors. Research in this area may lead to better identification of patients at risk of developing metastasis in addition to improved therapies for patients with metastatic disease. This lecture is intended to provide a basic overview of tumor invasion and metastasis. We will start with an introduction to the steps of the metastatic cascade, including a review of foundational experimental and clinical evidence that has led to our current understanding of this process. We will then cover the fundamentals of tumor progression, as it relates to metastatic heterogeneity, and review evidence supporting Stephen Paget’s original “seed and soil” hypothesis. With this knowledge we will move into examples of how stromal and immune cells may interact with tumor cells to regulate or facilitate individual steps of the metastatic cascade. Finally, we will review current concepts and trends in metastasis research including the potential fate of disseminated tumor cells, importance of the metastatic niche, reactivation of dormancy, and implications for the clinical therapy of metastasis.

Learning Objectives
• Recall the steps of the metastatic cascade and the 'decathlon' analogy
• Assimilate the fundamental experiments that have led to our understanding of the metastatic cascade
• Provide an example of paracrine signaling or cross-talk between tumor tissues and stromal tissues/immune cells and explain how this might lead to tumor progression or metastasis
• Recognize strengths and shortcomings of common in vitro and in vivo techniques capable of evaluating metastasis
• Understand the clinical implications (and limitations) of detecting tumor cells within the circulation, regional nodes or distant tissues
• Assimilate and discuss with clients, in lay terms, the metastatic cascade and how it relates to their pet's recommended treatment
• Recognize and define the concepts of "seed and soil", "foraging", tumor heterogeneity, exosomes and tumor dormancy

Duration
75 minutes

Cost
$0 ACVIM Diplomates and Candidates
$45 ECEIM, ECVIM-CA, ECVN Diplomates and Candidates
$75 Nonmembers

RACE CE Hours
This module has been submitted and approved for 1.25 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE approval.

Presenter
Robert B. Rebhun, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Oncology)
Professor and Maxine Endowed Chair in Medical Oncology
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Rebhun currently serves as Professor and Maxine Adler Endowed Chair in Medical Oncology at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Rebhun is a second-generation veterinarian who received both his Bachelor of Science and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degrees from Cornell University. He then earned a Ph.D. degree in Cancer Biology from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston/M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences under the mentorship of Dr. Isaiah Fidler. Dr. Rebhun went on to complete a medical oncology residency at the Flint Animal Cancer Center, at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Rebhun’s research is focused on comparative and translational oncology, with specific interests in metastasis, novel therapeutics, and immunotherapy. He has successfully maintained NIH funding since first being awarded a K01 SERCA award in 2011. Dr. Rebhun also serves as Chair of Admissions for the Graduate Group in Integrative Pathobiology at UC Davis and is Associate Director of the Cancer Program within the UC Davis Center for Companion Animal Health.

Pharmacology of Cancer Drugs and Resistance Luke Wittenburg, DVM, PhD, DACVCP

Overview
In this course we discuss the early findings with regard to the kinetics of tumor cell death that lead to current approaches to the treatment of cancer. For the major classes of cytotoxic agents that are used in veterinary medicine we have a detailed discussion of the mechanisms of action and potential mechanisms leading to intrinsic and/or acquired resistance. We also discuss some of the concepts that underlie combination chemotherapy and finally, provide some examples of the link between pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of some chemotherapy agents.

Learning Objectives
• Describe the kinetic basis of cancer drug therapy
• Describe determinants of intrinsic tumor cell sensitivity, specifically related to drug class and cell-intrinsic factors
• Describe putative mechanisms of action for anti-cancer agents used in veterinary medicine
• Describe key components driving efficacy of combination chemotherapy: dose intensity and effect of schedule
• List and provide examples of tumor cell resistance mechanisms for anti-cancer agents used in veterinary medicine: intrinsic resistance, acquired resistance and pharmacokinetic factors influencing dose-response relationship
• Describe the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships driving efficacy and toxicity for select drugs: carboplatin and doxorubicin

Duration
90 minutes

Cost
$0 ACVIM Diplomates and Candidates
$45 ECEIM, ECVIM-CA, ECVN Diplomates and Candidates
$75 Nonmembers

RACE CE Hours
This module has been submitted and approved for 1.5 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE approval.

Presenter
Luke Wittenburg, DVM, PhD, DACVCP
Assistant Professor, Developmental Cancer Therapeutics
Surgical and Radiological Sciences
Center for Companion Animal Health

Dr. Wittenburg received his DVM from Colorado State University in 2004 and went on to complete an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at a private practice in Los Angeles, California. Following this internship, he returned to Fort Collins and began a graduate program in Cancer Biology through the Program in Cell and Molecular Biology at Colorado State University. Dr. Wittenburg received his PhD in 2010 and continued at CSU as a post-doctoral researcher in the cancer pharmacology shared resource while completing a residency in veterinary clinical pharmacology, becoming a diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology in 2013. After a couple of years as junior faculty at Colorado State he joined the faculty at University of California, Davis in 2016 as an assistant professor where he started the Developmental Cancer Therapeutics Laboratory. Research in the Developmental Cancer Therapeutics Laboratory currently focuses on the importance of transcription factor complex protein interactions in the malignant phenotype of osteosarcoma and the pharmacokinetics of chemotherapeutics in veterinary species.

Tumor Microenvironment Jamie Modiano, VMD, PhD

Overview
This lecture will describe the tumor microenvironment, beginning with the mechanisms that lead to the creation of a tumor niche and continuing through the steps that allow it to evolve to favor tumor growth and dissemination. The tumor microenvironment refers to the complex ecosystem in which tumor cells reside and interact. The key take-home messages in this lecture are that (1) Tumors are tissues, and the temporal and spatial organization of those tissues is a critical determinant of tumor biological behavior. (2) Mutations of driver genes are essential events required to initiate tumors (and can be unique to tumors, individuals, and/or species), but ultimately, selective pressures to establish a niche and form a new, organized tissue within the constraints of its anatomical location are critical determinants of tumor progression. And finally, (3) strategies to detect and disrupt the formation of the tumor microenvironment provide a new frontier for safe and effective cancer treatment, control, and prevention.

Learning Objectives
• Learners will have an improved understanding of the formation of the tumor niche and the evolution of the tumor microenvironment.
• Learners will recognize that natural selection dictates the evolution towards convergent molecular programs, regardless of mutational drivers, to create predictable tumor phenotypes.
• Learners will appreciate opportunities for therapies directed towards the tumor microenvironment to more effectively manage malignant cancers.
Duration
60 minutes

Cost
$0 ACVIM Diplomates and Candidates
$30 ECEIM, ECVIM-CA, ECVN Diplomates and Candidates
$50 Nonmembers

RACE CE Hours
This module has been submitted and approved for 1.0 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE approval.

Presenter
Jaime Modiano, VMD, PhD
Perlman Professor of Oncology and Comparative Medicine
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine and Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota

Dr. Jaime Modiano holds the Alvin and June Perlman Endowed Chair of Animal Oncology and is Director of the Animal Cancer Care and Research Program of the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota. He completed his training through the Veterinary Medical Scientist Training Program (VMD, PhD) at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by a residency in Clinical Pathology at Colorado State University and a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine. Before joining the University of Minnesota, he served on the faculties of Texas A&M University and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

Dr. Modiano has also worked in the private sector as founder of Half Moon Bay Biotechnology, LLC and of ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Managing Partner for Veterinary Research Associates, LLC, and Director of Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy for the Donald Monk Cancer Research Foundation. Through his research, Dr. Modiano seeks to understand how and why cancer happens, as well as to develop strategies to improve the health and wellbeing of companion animals and humans. His research has been supported by federal and private sources without interruption for over 25 years. He has co-authored more than 500 scientific papers, abstracts, presentations, and book chapters focused on immunology, cancer biology and genetics, and therapeutic innovations for cancer and immune-mediated diseases.

MORE SESSIONS COMING SOON!

Angiogenesis

Cancer Etiology

Cancer Genome

Cancer Immunotherapy

Cell Death

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