Sheep lung cancer research reveals One Health insights
OPA, a sheep lung cancer, bears similarities with subtypes of human lung cancer.
Studies into a transmissible form of lung cancer in sheep could support new insights into the management of human diseases.
Researchers have been employing novel methods as they investigate the Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV), a disease spread through airborne transmission.
JSRV has been causing a significant and ongoing threat to animal welfare in the sheep industry. It can also lead to a cancer of the lungs called Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma (OPA).
Since OPA bears similarities to human cancer, research is expected to have One Health benefits on both human and animal health.
The research team have been utilising equipment at Roslin Institute’s Large Animal Research and Imaging Facility (LARIF). They discovered that ultrasound and computed tomography was effective in monitoring the development of OPA in sheep.
An ultrasound of a sheep’s lungs has been found to be capable of identifying OPA lesions, with the procedure used for screening large commercial flocks.
Meanwhile, CT scans are the current standard for mapping lung cancer pathology. If combined with radiomic feature analysis, which extracts features from medical images not visible to the human eye, this technology could improve clinical decision-making.
The research team is now exploring how these diagnostics could be used to diagnose OPA before large lung tumours develop, enabling better detection and control of the disease.
OPA’s similarities with specific subtypes of human lung cancer has made it a relevant model for investigating treatment for both species. For example, to lessen the toxicities of current lung cancer treatments, researchers have assessed novel intratumoural drug delivery techniques through the OPA method.
Dr Mark Gray, academic lead at LARIF, has been leading the research project. He said: “A pen-side AI-enhanced diagnostic would offer a convenient, efficient way to screen flocks,”
“Questions also remain over when sheep can transmit disease. Linking JSRV shedding and infectivity of individual sheep to tumour size would be a major step forward in the field of OPA research.”
“Diagnostics or environmental monitoring could be targeted to look for virus in sheep breath, or even in the air.”
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