Man’s Best Friends Therapeutics (MBFT) is developing a new generation of ‘Turbo-Charged’ immunotherapeutic Vaccines™ for cancer therapy in companion animals and infectious disease prevention in livestock. These ‘Turbo-Charged’ Vaccines™ block processes that tumors use to ‘hide’ from the immune system- and go one step further to boost the immune system’s ability to recognize and destroy tumor cells and pathogens.
Our first therapy is MBFT-201, a melanoma vaccine for dogs now in clinical testing. Malignant melanoma is one of the most common cancers in dogs. Melanoma incidence increases with age, and certain breeds such as cocker spaniels, golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers are among those at highest risk. Current treatment options include radical surgery, radiation therapy and many weeks of chemotherapy, none of which are generally effective. Even after surgery and chemotherapy, dogs with stage II or III melanoma relapse and die on average within less than a year. Treatment is very expensive! Dog owners currently spend more than $500 Million per year on complicated regimens of hazardous, expensive and ultimately ineffective chemotherapies. With this innovative technology we are creating safer, long-lasting and effective vaccines that for companion animals meet the well-defined needs of today’s pet owners and veterinarians- safety, convenience, affordability and efficacy.