Mochel

Cushing’s disease is a disorder that causes the adrenal glands to produce too much of the stress hormone cortisol. About 100,000 dogs are diagnosed with the disorder each year. For canines, the disease leads to fur loss, weakness, weight gain and pot bellies, plus a shorter life—not to mention the heartache for their owners. Though rare, humans can also develop the disease.

Treatments for the condition are limited, and there is no cure for Cushing’s in either humans or canines … yet.

But I believe solutions lie in drawing connections between the disease in dogs and humans. This approach is part of the University of Georgia’s Precision One Health Initiative. Our project to fight Cushing’s disease begins with understanding on a molecular level the tumors that often cause the condition. And since the disease is much more common in dogs, we’re collecting tumor biopsies from canine patients.

From those biopsies, we’ve created mini-tumors in dishes to screen for thousands of molecules in the cells. This process will allow us to determine which drugs could be safe and effective in fighting the disease. And we anticipate being able to customize optimal treatments for individual patients. Ultimately, if our trial treating dogs for Cushing’s is successful, then the next step is studying treatments in humans.

One Health is all about the intersections between humans, other animals, and our environment. What can we learn about similarities in diseases, such as cancer or cardiac disease, that are shared by humans and other animals? What conditions lead to disease transmission between animals and humans? What role does the environment play in all of this? And how can we create better conditions to optimize human, veterinary, and environmental health?

This holistic approach makes sense to many people, but it takes diligence to truly practice in the world of research. The University of Georgia has made a big investment in Precision One Health. We have the resources, the talent, and the expertise to move this field forward. Our next step is to effectively translate these efforts from the lab to the patient’s bedside by collaborating with clinicians.