NCI award expands UF canine hemangiosarcoma research
Bottom line
A new five-year, $3.1 million National Cancer Institute award is expanding University of Florida’s comparative oncology work using naturally occurring canine hemangiosarcoma as a model for human angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive vascular cancer. The September 22 announcement from UF’s College of Veterinary Medicine says the grant supports Jon Hyuk Kim, D.V.M., Ph.D., and builds on a broader UF research portfolio that now totals about $4 million across four related projects focused on canine hemangiosarcoma and translational angiosarcoma research. UF said the work will center on building a more reliable translational model and identifying actionable biology that could inform treatment development in both dogs and people. (vetmed.ufl.edu)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the award reinforces how pet dogs with spontaneous cancers are increasingly central to translational oncology, especially in diseases where human case numbers are too small to support rapid discovery. Prior comparative genomics studies have shown meaningful overlap between canine hemangiosarcoma and human angiosarcoma, including shared mutational features, while UF investigators have also reported more recent angiosarcoma findings pointing to RAS signaling as a possible therapeutic target. That creates a dual opportunity: advancing options for canine patients while strengthening the evidence base for dogs as clinically relevant models in rare cancer research. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
What to watch: Watch for protocol development, preclinical model data, and any linked canine clinical studies over the grant’s June 2026 to May 2031 project period. (govtribe.com)
Key facts
- Institution
- University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine
- Award
- Five-year, $3.1 million National Cancer Institute grant
- Announcement date
- September 22, 2026
- Research lead
- Jon Hyuk Kim, D.V.M., Ph.D.
- Canine disease
- Canine hemangiosarcoma
- Human disease
- Human angiosarcoma
- Research goal
- Build a more reliable translational model and identify actionable biology
- Total UF support
- About $4 million across four related projects
- Grant period
- June 3, 2026, to May 31, 2031
The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine has announced a new five-year, $3.1 million National Cancer Institute award aimed at advancing canine hemangiosarcoma research as a translational model for human angiosarcoma, a rare and highly aggressive vascular cancer. The grant, announced September 22, 2026, supports Jon Hyuk Kim, D.V.M., Ph.D., and adds momentum to UF’s growing comparative oncology program. (vetmed.ufl.edu)
The rationale is familiar to veterinary oncologists, but increasingly important in rare cancer science: pet dogs develop spontaneous tumors in real-world biologic and immune settings that can be difficult to replicate in conventional laboratory models. In this case, UF and NCI are leaning into the long-recognized parallels between canine hemangiosarcoma and human angiosarcoma, especially because human angiosarcoma is uncommon and research progress has been constrained by limited tissue access and model systems. Federal award records describe the project as an effort to establish a reliable translational platform using naturally occurring canine disease. (govtribe.com)
UF said the new award brings Kim’s active comparative oncology research support to roughly $4 million across four projects tied to canine hemangiosarcoma and translational angiosarcoma research. According to the university, related projects include Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program work on comparative angiosarcoma and additional support from South Korea’s Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency for AI-driven applications in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis across several canine cancers, including hemangiosarcoma. UF also notes Kim joined the college in 2022 through the university’s Artificial Intelligence Initiative, underscoring how the program is combining cancer biology with computational tools. (vetmed.ufl.edu)
The scientific backdrop is strong. Prior peer-reviewed comparative genomics work found that canine hemangiosarcoma and human angiosarcoma share a mutational landscape with potentially important translational implications, supporting the idea that discoveries in one species may inform the other. Separate molecular subtyping research has also identified biologic similarities between the diseases, helping explain why canine tumors are increasingly viewed as more than a surrogate of convenience. More recently, UF investigators presented data suggesting RAS signaling may play a central role in angiosarcoma cell survival and spread, raising the possibility that pathway-directed strategies could emerge from this line of work. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Direct outside reaction to this specific award appears limited so far, but the broader field has been moving in the same direction. The National Cancer Institute’s comparative oncology framework has long emphasized the value of tumor-bearing pet dogs in drug development and biologically relevant cancer modeling, particularly for sarcomas and other hard-to-study malignancies. At UF, that philosophy is already extending into active canine cancer clinical research, including a current vaccine study for dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma receiving standard-of-care surgery and chemotherapy plus investigational immunotherapy. (deainfo.nci.nih.gov)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this award is notable not just for its size, but for what it signals about where comparative oncology is headed. Hemangiosarcoma remains one of the most devastating canine cancers seen in practice, and progress has been slowed by late presentation, biologic heterogeneity, and limited effective systemic options. NCI-backed investment in naturally occurring canine disease could help generate better molecular stratification, more predictive preclinical tools, and eventually more rational clinical trial design for dogs. At the same time, participation by pet dogs and pet parents in this research continues to strengthen veterinary medicine’s role in One Health cancer discovery. (vetmed.ufl.edu)
What to watch: The grant period runs from June 3, 2026, to May 31, 2031, according to federal award trackers, so the next milestones will likely include model validation data, target discovery work, and potential spillover into canine interventional studies or biomarker-driven collaborations across UF’s cancer research network. If the program produces reproducible translational signals, it could further elevate canine hemangiosarcoma as a frontline model for rare vascular cancers in people. (govtribe.com)