DENVER/July 29, 2025 – Morris Animal Foundation announced the funding of four new research projects aimed at hemangiosarcoma in dogs, an aggressive and almost uniformly fatal canine cancer. A panel of veterinary oncology experts chose the proposals from a highly competitive pool to advance early diagnosis and treatment options.
"Hemangiosarcoma is one of the deadliest cancers in dogs, often diagnosed too late for effective treatment," said Dr. Kelly Diehl, Senior Director of Science Communications at Morris Animal Foundation and Chairperson of the grant review panel. "As a clinician, telling a family that their beloved dog had hemangiosarcoma was heart-wrenching. I hope that these projects can help the thousands of dogs diagnosed each year."
Thanks to donor support, the Hemangiosarcoma Initiative, launched in 2022, continues to fund critical canine cancer research worldwide dedicated to early detection and innovative therapies.
This year’s grant recipients are:
- Dr. Alexandre Le Roux, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Researchers will study a new tumor surface molecule as a target for treatment.
- Dr. Ryan Senger, Virginia Tech: Researchers will look for cancer markers in urine as a step toward a new diagnostic test.
- Dr. Cynthia Otto, University of Pennsylvania: Researchers will see if biodetection dogs can differentiate between blood samples of dogs with and without hemangiosarcoma as a step toward a new diagnostic test.
- Dr. Christoph Marycz, International Institute of Translational Medicine, Poland: Researchers will study mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouse, to learn if changes due to hemangiosarcoma presence result in abnormalities that can be detected in blood.
About Morris Animal Foundation
Morris Animal Foundation’s mission is to bridge science and resources to advance the health of animals. Founded in 1948 and headquartered in Denver, it is one of the largest nonprofit animal health research organizations in the world, funding nearly $170 million in more than 3,100 critical animal health studies to date across a broad range of species. Learn more at morrisanimalfoundation.org.
Media Contact: Lindsey Washington
