Clinical trials

The School of Veterinary Science has several clinical trials and research studies seeking volunteers and input from the public.

Each trial or research study has varying requirements in regards to the assistance the investigators are requiring. We invite you to take a look at the current trials listed below to see if you can contribute.

Please note that all clinical trials and research have animal ethics and/or human ethics approvals, participation is voluntary and any participants can be removed from a trial at any time.

Dog bone cancer vaccine trial

We are looking for pet dogs diagnosed with cancer to test an experimental vaccine. The clinical research trial is for dogs recently diagnosed with canine appendicular osteosarcoma, a common bone tumour that affects 10,000 dogs a year globally. In this trial, our researchers will assess two vaccine formulations. To be eligible, dogs need to have been diagnosed with appendicular osteosarcoma of long bones of the limbs with no evidence of metastasis, or cancer spread, based on a physical exam and radiographs. Dogs can be any breed but must be proceeding to surgery to treat their cancer. Read more about these trials.

Applications for the trial can be made via this webform, or questions can be directed to Dr José Granados Soler.

Cattle with lantana camara toxicity

We are looking for cattle that are naturally intoxicated with lantana camara. Lantana is a common toxic plant in Queensland. We are searching for prognostic indicators of intoxicated cattle to better identify cattle that will survive. If you have cattle that are showing signs of photosensitization and have access to lantana, we would like to include them in the study. Photosensitization will present as thickened or “crusty” skin that is more firm that normal. It occurs commonly in the white skinned areas, ears, nose and rear legs, but can occur anywhere on the body. Involvement in the study will consist of the cost of the campus vet mileage at $1.81/km roundtrip and the cost of the pharmaceuticals needed to treat. Blood, urine physical examination data, and pictures will be collected from the diseased animal and a healthy individual from the same paddock. Standard therapy will be activated charcoal by mouth and oxytetracycline injectable. The examination, pharmaceutical administration, and veterinary advice will be free. We are searching for prognostic indicators of intoxicated cattle to better identify cattle that will survive.

Please contact Dr Brandon Fraser for more details.

Do you have a cat with diabetes or a diabetic cat in remission?

We are looking for diabetic cats and diabetic cats in remission for three clinical trials that will investigate new treatments and monitoring for this condition. Two studies will investigate the role of a long-acting synthetic drug, exenatide (Bydureon®). The third study will investigate a new generation of glucose monitors that provide immediate glucose values by waving a reader device over a sensor – without needle or sample collection required. There will be no cost to owners for any diagnostics, study drugs, or monitoring, however, study participants will need to be brought to UQ’s Gatton campus.