Dr.HeatherChandlerisanassistantprofessorattheOhioState
UniversityCollegeofOptometrywhostudiescataracts.She
explains,“Cataractsareaprogressivechangetothelensof
theeye,resultingincloudinessandinterferencewithvision.
Cataractsarethemostcommoncauseofblindnessindogs.
Surgeryandplacementofanintraocularlensimplantcan
restorenormalvision.Althougheveryeffortismadetoremove
asmuchlensmaterialaspossibleduringcataractsurgery,itis
inevitablethatsomelenscellsremain.Thesecellswillmigrate
andproliferate,resultinginthemostcommoncomplicationto
surgery,posteriorcapsuleopacification(PCO).PCOinterferes
withlighttransmissionandresultsinsecondaryvisionloss.
“Cataractsoccurinallbreeds,andPCOoccursin100
percentofcaninepost-operativepatients.Unfortunately,
thereisnoconsistentlyeffectivetreatmentforcaninePCO.
Studiesperformedinotherspecieshavefoundthatuseofa
commonlyprescribeddrug,CyclosporineA,candecrease
PCOformationanddecreasepost-operativeinflammation.”
Dr.Chandlerhasevidencethatcyclosporinemayprevent
PCOindogs.Theproblemishowtodeliverthedrugto
theproperplaceintheeye.Shehasfoundthatshecannot
usetheintraocularlensitselfasadeliveryvehicle.Sheis
workingonanewbiocompatible,biodegradable,injectable
andinertcompositetobeplacedwithinthelenscapsule
followingsurgery.Shehasshownthiscompositeallows
thecyclosporinetobeinjectedduringcataractsurgerybut
remainwithinthecapsuleforextendedperiodsoftime
postoperatively.Herlabhassuccessfullysynthesizedthe
gelinthelaboratoryandisexaminingthepropertiesofthe
gelanditsdrugdeliverycapabilities.
Thesecondgoalofherstudywastoevaluatethe
potentialtoxicityofcyclosporinetoothertissueswithin
theeye.Herstudieshaveshownthatcyclosporinedoesnot
causedamagetothecorneacells.Sheisbuildingevidence
thatextendedreleaseofcyclosporinewillbesafeforuse
insidetheeye.Thisstudygivesveterinaryophthalmologists
anewmethodofrestoringexcellentlong-termvisionin
dogsthathavebeenblindedbycataracts.
I
IPBGVHealth&RescueFoundation
AreportongrantsbeingfundedbytheFoundation.
Grant1609:ProbioticVSL#3ReducesEnteritisinDogswithInflammatory
BowelDisease–Year2mid-yearreport.June2013.
Primaryinvestigator:AlbertE.Jergens,DVM,PhD
ByLauraLiscum,HealthCommittee,PBGVHealth&RescueFoundation
Grant#1612:UseofModifiedCyclosporineAtoImproveCataractSurgery
Outcomes–Year2midyearreport.June2013.
Primaryinvestigator:HeatherChandler,PhD
ByLauraLiscum,HealthCommittee,PBGVHealth&RescueFoundation
Dr.AlbertJergensisaprofessorofVeterinaryClinicalSciences
atIowaStateUniversity.Hisprimaryresearchareaisgastroen-
terology,includinginflammatoryboweldisease(IBD)indogs
andcats.HenotesthatIBD“isacommoncauseofchronic
gastrointestinaldiseaseindogs.Accumulatingevidencein
humanIBDandanimalmodelssuggeststhatimbalancesin
compositionoftheintestinalmicrobiotacontributetothe
pathogenesisofchronicintestinalinflammation.”
Manyinvestigatorshypothesizethatthealteredmicrobial
communityintheduodenumcanbeacauseforIBD.Dr.
Jergensstatesthat“currenttreatmentsforIBDincludethe
administrationofnonspecificanti-inflammatorydrugswhich
mayconferserioussideeffectsanddonotaddresstheunder-
lyingbasisfordisease,namely,alteredmicrobialcomposition.
Useofprobiotics(viablenon-pathogenicbacteriathatexert
healthbenefitsbeyondbasicnutrition)offersanattractive
physiologicandnon-toxicalternativetoshiftthebalanceto
protectivespeciesandtreatIBD.”
TheaimofDr.Jergens’studyistoinvestigatetheclinical,
microbiologicandanti-inflammatoryeffectsofprobiotic
VSL#3inthetreatmentofcanineIBD.VSL#3isamedical
foodcontainingacombinationofbacteriathatcolonize
thegastrointestinaltract.Itisavailablebyprescriptionfor
peopleforthedietarymanagementofulcerativecolitis,an
ilealpouchandirritablebowelsyndrome.Dr.Jergens
hypothesizesthat“VSL#3usedasanadjuncttostandard
therapy(i.e.,eliminationdietandprednisone)willinducea
beneficialalterationofentericbacterialeadingtoinduction
andmaintenanceofremissionindogswithIBD.”
Totesthishypothesis,Dr.Jergensisperformingaran-
domizedcontrolledclinicaltrialtoassesstheefficacyof
standardtherapyandprobioticvs.standardtherapyalone.
Herecruiteddogssuspiciousfororrecentlydiagnosedwith
chronicIBDtobeenrolledintotheclinicaltrial.Thiswas
aneight-weekclinicaltrialwhereIBDdogsreceivedthe
probioticorplaceboalongwithtraditionaldietaryanddrug
therapy.Theanimalswerere-evaluatedatthreeandeight
weeks,withtheeight-weekre-checkinvolvingrepeat
endoscopywithcollectionoftissuesforre-examination.
HisdatatodatesuggeststhatdogstreatedwithVSL#3
dorespondfavorablytotheprobioticasevidencedbya
reductionintheirclinicaldiseaseseverity.Whatremains
unclear(becausethecliniciansareblindedastowhethera
dogreceivesVSL#3orplacebo)iswhetherremissionoccurs
morequicklyinVSL#3-treateddogsvs.placebo-medicated
dogs.Thereisaneedforadditionaldatatobegeneratedto
provideproofofefficacyinprobiotictherapybeforethese
agentscanbeappliedtowidespreadclinicaluse.These
studieswillalsoprovidehighlyrelevantinsightintothe
anti-inflammatoryeffectsofprobioticsfortreatmentof
humanandcanineIBD.”
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www.pbgv.org
December2013
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