LENEXA, Kan. – September 23, 2025 – ELIAS Animal Health, a leader in advancing novel therapies for veterinary cancer care, has published new data from its ASCENT study evaluating a novel chemo-immunotherapy regimen for canine osteosarcoma, an aggressive and often fatal bone cancer in dogs. The analysis was recently presented at the 18th American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities and will be discussed in detail at the upcoming 2025 Veterinary Cancer Society Annual Conference.

The ASCENT study investigated a treatment strategy that integrates a single dose of chemotherapy followed by the ELIAS Cancer Immunotherapy (ECI®) to enhance the immune system’s ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells. ECI® is the first-ever approved therapy for the treatment of canine osteosarcoma, receiving licensure from the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics earlier this year.

Key outcomes from the study demonstrated that:

  • This combination approach significantly improved outcomes as compared to stand-alone chemotherapy using carboplatin. A total of 21 dogs in the ASCENT study received chemotherapy followed by ECI®, with 13 dogs receiving a single dose and 8 dogs receiving multiple doses before administration of ECI®. Data in the study was compared to a matched set of 21 dogs that received four-dose carboplatin (considered standard of care) from a recently published study conducted by the NCI Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium. The one-year survival rate in dogs receiving a single dose of chemotherapy followed by ECI® was 83%, compared to 25% for the chemotherapy-only matched controls. The 8 dogs receiving multiple doses of carboplatin followed by ECI® also experienced meaningful survival benefit compared to the chemotherapy-only matched controls.
  • The results reinforce the feasibility of harnessing both chemotherapy and immune-based therapies to deliver a more effective, dual-action strategy against cancer.
  • Canine and human osteosarcomas share many clinical and biological similarities which provide translational insights into how to better treat these patients. This groundbreaking research benefits the advancement of innovative therapy options for both species.

“These findings underscore the potential of combining chemotherapy with immunotherapy to deliver improved outcomes for dogs diagnosed with osteosarcoma,” said Tammie Wahaus, CEO of ELIAS Animal Health. “By leveraging the body’s own immune system alongside established treatment approaches, we believe this strategy represents a meaningful advance for veterinary oncology. Importantly, it also supports the broader field of comparative oncology, where insights from canine cancer research may inform human cancer therapies.”

The poster presented at AACR can be accessed here: https://go.eliasanimalhealth.com/AACR_ECIchemo_20250920

For more information about ELIAS Animal Health and its innovative approach to veterinary oncology, visit www.eliasanimalhealth.com.

About ELIAS Animal Health

ELIAS Animal Health is a medical biotechnology company focused on advancing a pipeline of immunotherapies, including an adoptive cell therapy and an oncolytic virotherapy, for the treatment of canine cancers. The company’s therapeutic pipeline offers the prospect of improved clinical outcomes and the potential for fundamentally changing the way cancer is treated. Learn more at www.eliasanimalhealth.com.

About ECI®

ECI® is an Autologous Prescription Product (USDA Product Code 95A7.50) that has been evaluated in multiple clinical studies and is approved for veterinary use by the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics. As an adoptive cell therapy, ECI® combines an autologous vaccine with cell therapy to target a patient’s unique cancer cells. This personalized approach can improve clinical outcomes and provide a better quality of life for canine patients. ECI® is available at more than 100 authorized treatment centers across the U.S. Learn more at www.eliasanimalhealth.com/elias-cancer-immunotherapy/.