Innovation

It is innovation that sets us apart

At AURA, we are constantly innovating. We invest in the tools and techniques needed to enhance our approach to treating animal cancer.

There is an energy and skillset among the team to make that vision a reality. We are recognised as a centre for innovation, making discoveries that are changing thinking around animal cancers and even enlightening understanding and treatment around children’s cancers.

We often see patients who have been told their cancer is inoperable, or there are no other options available. Our experience, expertise and innovative nature often allows us to find solutions, when hope had otherwise seemed lost.

Embolisation of prostate cancer

AURA has pioneered treatment for canine prostatic cancer in Europe. Working with Royal Surrey Hospital they are one of only a handful of veterinary centres in the world, and the only veterinary hospital in Europe, to offer prostatic embolisation. Owners have travelled from across the UK and from the continent for this procedure.

Cell Saver reduces the need for donor transfusions

Blood loss during some major surgeries such as liver resections, tumours of the spleen, and some oral surgeries often required the patient to receive a blood transfusion. With the cell saver unit, purchased in association with the Rumba Foundation, we have shown a significant reduction in the need to use donor blood for our patients. This work was presented at a major European specialist surgery meeting in 2021.

Does tumour volume predict outcome?

Working with University of Glasgow, AURA has started to use computer aided design to try and determine if the volume of tumour may influence the success of surgery. The three-dimensional imaging also provides the surgeon with a unique insight into the tumour's relationship with surrounding structures, so that a surgery can be more carefully planned.

Biobanking cancer tissue for the future

The biobank at AURA was established to create an archive of biological material from dogs and cats with a variety of diagnosed cancers. This archive will allow researchers from around the world to undertake a variety of investigations into tumour biology, allowing the discovery of biomarkers and possible treatment solutions in the future.

Research success at AURA

We pride ourselves on not just providing world-class veterinary services. We are also a scholarly organisation and a serious seat of science, and a place where the whole family feel welcomed and understood. Our aim is to be recognised as a centre for innovation, making discoveries that are changing thinking around animal cancers and even enlightening understanding and treatment around cancer in humans.

Because of this relentless passion for discovery and innovation, AURA is for families that are seeking more knowledge about animal cancer and for treatment solutions that may not be available elsewhere. Our knowledge and experience allows us to offer procedures that can improve quality of life or chances of survival. However, this same knowledge enables us to act as the animal’s guardian and the owner’s supporter. Through open conversations we help share reliable, trustworthy, authoritative information with clarity and compassion.

Publications by AURA clinicians

A list of all peer-reviewed publications in international veterinary journals by the veterinarians while working at AURA. A commitment to research, and the desire for advancing and sharing knowledge, is a fundamental quality of the clinical team at AURA.

Case series

Covey JL, Farese JP, Bacon NJ, Schallberger SP, Amsellem P, Cavanaugh RP, Milner RJ. Stereotactic radiosurgery and fracture fixation in 6 dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma. Vet Surg. 2014 Feb;43(2):174-81. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-950X.2014.12082.x
Kishi EN, Holmes SP, Abbott JR, Bacon NJ. Functional metastatic parathyroid adenocaricnoma in a dog. Canadian Veterinary Journal 2014; 55(4): 383-388
Bray JP, Worley DR, Henderson RA, Boston SE, Mathews KG, Romanelli G, Bacon NJ, Liptak JM, Scase TJ. Hemipelvectomy: outcome in 84 dogs and 16 cats. A veterinary society of surgical oncology retrospective study. Veterinary Surgery 43(1):27-37; 2014
Amsellem PM, Selmic LE, Wypij JM, Bacon NJ, Culp WTN, Ehrhart NP, Powers BE, Stryhn H, Farese JP. Appendicular osteosarcoma in small-breed dogs: 51 cases (1986-2011) Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 2014; 245(2), 203-210

Clinical research

Crosse KR, Bray JP, Orbell G, Preston CA. Histological evaluation of the soft palate in dogs affected by brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome. N Z Vet J. 2015 Nov;63(6):319-25. doi: 10.1080/00480169.2015.1061464
Schmidt AF, Groenwold RHH, Amsellem P, Bacon N, Klungel OH, Hoes AW, de Boer A, Kow K, Maritato K, Kirpensteijn J, Nielen M. Which dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma benefit most from chemotherapy after surgery? Results from an individual patient meta-analysis. Preventative Veterinary Medicine 2015; 125; 116-125

Case series

Guerios SD, de Melo Souza CH, Bacon NJ. Adrenocortical tumor in a cat secreting more than one type of corticosteroid. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports 2015; 1(2), 2055116915617970
Guerios SD, Silva DM, Souza CHM, Bacon NJ. Surgical placement and management of jugular access ports in dogs and cats: description of technique. Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Pecuarias 2015; 28(3), 265-271

Case series

Bacon N, Souza CH, Franz S. Total cysto-prostatectomy: Technique description and results in 2 dogs. Can Vet J. 2016 Feb;57(2):141-6. PMID: 26834263
Oblak ML, Bacon NJ, Covey JL. Perioperative Management and Outcome of Bilateral Adrenalectomy in 9 Dogs. Vet Surg. 2016 Aug;45(6):790-7. doi: 10.1111/vsu.12514

Clinical research

Kubicek L, Milner R, An Q, Kow K, Chang M, Cooke K, Fox L, Farese J, Bacon N, Lurie D. Outcomes and prognostic factors associated with canine sinonasal tumors treated with curative intent cone-based stereotactic radiosurgery (1999-2013). Vet Radiol Ultrasound. 2016 May;57(3):331-40. doi: 10.1111/vru.12349
Kubicek L, Vanderhart D, Wirth K, An Q, Chang M, Farese J, Bova F, Sudhyadhom A, Kow K, Bacon NJ, Milner R. Association between computed tomographic characteristics and fractures following stereotactic radiosurgery in dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma. Vet Radiol Ultrasound. 2016 May;57(3):321-30. doi: 10.1111/vru.12351
Schmidt AF, Groenwold RH, Amsellem P, Bacon N, Klungel OH, Hoes AW, de Boer A, Kow K, Maritato K, Kirpensteijn J, Nielen M. Which dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma benefit most from chemotherapy after surgery? Results from an individual patient data meta-analysis. Prev Vet Med. 2016 Mar 1;125:116-25. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2015.10.016
Wirth KA, Kow K, Salute ME, Bacon NJ, Milner RJ. In vitro effects of Yunnan Baiyao on canine hemangiosarcoma cell lines. Vet Comp Oncol. 2016 Sep;14(3):281-94. doi: 10.1111/vco.12100

Review

Bray JP. Soft tissue sarcoma in the dog – part 1: a current review. J Small Anim Pract. 2016 Oct;57(10):510-519. doi: 10.1111/jsap.12556

Case report

Liptak JM, Thatcher GP, Bray JP. Reconstruction of a mandibular segmental defect with a customized 3-dimensional-printed titanium prosthesis in a cat with a mandibular osteosarcoma. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2017 Apr 15;250(8):900-908. doi: 10.2460/javma.250.8.900

Case series

Boston SE, Vinayak A, Lu X, Larue S, Bacon NJ, Bleedorn JA, Souza CHM, Ehrhart NP. Outcome and complications in dogs with appendicular primary bone tumors treated with stereotactic radiotherapy and concurrent surgical stabilization. Vet Surg. 2017 Aug;46(6):829-837. doi: 10.1111/vsu.12669

Clinical research

Bray JP, Kersley A, Downing W, Crosse KR, Worth AJ, House AK, Yates G, Coomer AR, Brown IWM. Clinical outcomes of patient-specific porous titanium endoprostheses in dogs with tumors of the mandible, radius, or tibia: 12 cases (2013-2016). J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2017 Sep 1;251(5):566-579. doi: 10.2460/javma.251.5.566
Giuffrida MA, Bacon NJ, Kamstock DA. Use of routine histopathology and factor VIII-related antigen/von Willebrand factor immunohistochemistry to differentiate primary hemangiosarcoma of bone from telangiectatic osteosarcoma in 54 dogs. Vet Comp Oncol. 2017 Dec;15(4):1232-1239. doi: 10.1111/vco.12259
Kelsey KL, Kubicek LN, Bacon NJ, Torres T, Robertson SA. Neuromuscular blockade and inspiratory breath hold during stereotactic body radiation therapy for treatment of heart base tumors in four dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2017 Jan 15;250(2):199-204. doi: 10.2460/javma.250.2.199
Talbott JL, Boston SE, Milner RJ, Lejeune A, Souza CH, Kow K, Bacon NJ, Hernandez JA. Retrospective Evaluation of Whole Body Computed Tomography for Tumor Staging in Dogs with Primary Appendicular Osteosarcoma. Vet Surg. 2017 Jan;46(1):75-80. doi: 10.1111/vsu.12579

Review

Bray JP. Soft tissue sarcoma in the dog – Part 2: surgical margins, controversies and a comparative review. J Small Anim Pract. 2017 Feb;58(2):63-72. doi: 10.1111/jsap.12629

Case series

Michelle A Giuffrida, Debra A Kamstock, Laura E Selmic, William Pass, Anna Szivek, Michael B Mison, Sarah E Boston, Leslie E Fox, Cecilia Robat, Janet A Grimes, Karl C Maritato, Nicholas J Bacon. Primary appendicular hemangiosarcoma and telangiectatic osteosarcoma in 70 dogs: A Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology retrospective study, Vet Surg. 2018 Aug;47(6):774-783. doi: 10.1111/vsu.12926

Clinical research

Bray JP, Orbell G, Cave N, Munday JS. Does thalidomide prolong survival in dogs with splenic haemangiosarcoma? J Small Anim Pract. 2018 Feb;59(2):85-91. doi: 10.1111/jsap.12796

Review

Bray, Jonathan. Soft tissue sarcoma in the dog: an update. In Practice; 40, Iss. 9, (Nov 2018): 383. DOI:10.1136/inp.k707
P Beer, A Pozzi, C Rohrer Bley, N Bacon, N S Pfammatter, C Venzin , The role of sentinel lymph node mapping in small animal veterinary medicine: A comparison with current approaches in human medicine, Vet Comp Oncol. 2018 Jun;16(2):178-187. doi: 10.1111/vco.12372

Case report

Galliano, A., Belmudes, A. and Bacon, N.J. (2019), Cholecystocutaneous fistula and associated cholelithiasis in an eight-year-old dachshund. Vet Rec Case Rep, 7: e000786. https://doi.org/10.1136/vetreccr-2018-000786
Hyndman PS, Worth AJ, Owen MC, Jack MW, Orbell GMB, Bray JP. Peripheral arteriovenous fistula manifesting as antebrachial dermatopathy in a cat. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2019 Feb 1;254(3):393-398. doi: 10.2460/javma.254.3.393

Case series

Amsellem PM, Cavanaugh RP, Chou PY, Bacon NJ, Schallberger SP, Farese JP, Kuntz CA, Liptak JM, Culp WTN, Robat CS, Powers BE. Apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma in cats: 30 cases (1994-2015). J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2019 Mar 15;254(6):716-722. doi: 10.2460/javma.254.6.716
Carlos H de Mello Souza, Nicholas Bacon, Sarah Boston, Victoria Randall, Vincent Wavreille, Owen Skinner, Ventral mandibulectomy for removal of oral tumours in the dog: Surgical technique and results in 19 cases, Vet Comp Oncol. 2019 Sep;17(3):271-275. doi: 10.1111/vco.12472

Clinical research

Katherine Smallwood, Jean-Benoit Tanis, Iain A Grant, Laura Blackwood, David R Killick, Isabel Amores-Fuster, James Elliott, Aran Mas, Aaron Harper, Mary Marrington, Riccardo Finotello , Evaluation of a multi-agent chemotherapy protocol combining dexamethasone, melphalan, actinomycin D, and cytarabine for the treatment of resistant canine non-Hodgkin high-grade lymphomas: a single centre’s experience, Vet Comp Oncol. 2019 Jun;17(2):165-173. doi: 10.1111/vco.12457
S Spence, A French, J Penderis, L Macfarlane, R Gutierrez-Quintana, L Dickson, K Holmes, G McLauchlan. The occurrence of cardiac abnormalities in canine steroid-responsive meningitis arteritis, J Small Anim Pract. 2019 Apr;60(4):204-211. doi: 10.1111/jsap.12984
Spence, S., French, A.T., Penderis, J., Macfarlane, L., Gutierrez‐Quintana, R., Dickson, L., Holmes, K.L., & Mclauchlan, G. (2019). The occurrence of cardiac abnormalities in canine steroid‐responsive meningitis arteritis. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 60, 204–211.
Rai, A. Morisi, B. Bacci, N. J. Bacon, S. A. Thomas, R. M. La Ragione, M. Bober, K. Wells, An investigation of aggregated transfer learning for classification in digital pathology. Proc. SPIE 10956, Medical Imaging 2019: Digital Pathology, 109560U (18 March 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2511754
Taranpreet Rai, A Morisi, B Bacci, NJ Bacon, SA Thomas, RM La Ragione, M Bober, K Wells., Can ImageNet feature maps be applied to small histopathological datasets for the classification of breast cancer metastatic tissue in whole slide images?., Medical Imaging 2019: Digital Pathology 10956, 109560V
Darby W Walmsley, Jonathan P Bray, and Philip Thomas. Apomorphine hydrochloride: a clinical review with retrospective analysis of use in 1126 dogs treated in emergency practice.
Companion Animal 2019 24:8, 419-425 doi: 10.12968/coan.2019.0018
Rai T, Morisi A, Bacci B, Bacon N, Thomas SA, La Ragione RM, Bober M, Wells K. Can ImageNet feature maps be applied to small histopathological datasets for the classification of breast cancer metastatic tissue in whole slide images? Medical Imaging 2019: Digital Pathology 10956, 109560V

Review

Morgan KRS, Bray JP. Current diagnostic tests, surgical treatments, and prognostic indicators for vascular ring anomalies in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2019 Mar 15;254(6):728-733. doi: 10.2460/javma.254.6.728

Case report

D’Aout C, Renfrew H, Dobromylskyj M, Bacon N, Herrmann A, Taylor SS. Intranasal proliferative fibro-osseous dysplasia in a domestic longhair cat. JFMS Open Rep. 2020 Jun 10;6(1):2055116920917839. doi: 10.1177/2055116920917839
Bray J. Histologic margins and the residual tumour classification scheme. Vet Comp Oncol. 2020 Dec;18(4):445-446. doi: 10.1111/vco.12607.

Case series

Sarah E Boston, Lucinda L van Stee, Nicholas J Bacon, David Szentimrey, Barbara M Kirby, Sebastiaan van Nimwegen 2 , Vincent A Wavreille , Outcomes of eight cats with oral neoplasia treated with radical mandibulectomy, Vet Surg. 2020 Jan;49(1):222-232. doi: 10.1111/vsu.13341., ,

Clinical research

Bray JP, Munday JS. Thalidomide Reduces Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Immunostaining in Canine Splenic Hemangiosarcoma. Vet Sci. 2020 May 20;Vol. 7, Issue 2, pages 67-69. doi: 10.3390/vetsci7020067
Ying Wu, Yu-Mei Chang, Gerry Polton, Anneliese J Stell, Balazs Szladovits, Michael Macfarlane, Laureen M Peters, Simon L Priestnall, Nicholas J Bacon, Kelvin Kow, Sarah Stewart, Eshita Sharma, Michelle R Goulart, John Gribben, Dong Xia, Oliver A Garden, Gene Expression Profiling of B Cell Lymphoma in Dogs Reveals Dichotomous Metabolic Signatures Distinguished by Oxidative Phosphorylation, Front Oncol. 2020 Mar 6;10:307. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2020.00307

Case report

Homer LM, Bacon NJ. Hemipelvectomy to treat sarcoma of the proximal portion of the femur in a rabbit. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2021 Jan 15;258(2):192-196. doi: 10.2460/javma.258.2.192

Clinical research

Alexandra Jifcovici , Miguel A Solano, Noel Fitzpatrick, Laurent Findji, Gordon Blunn, Anita Sanghani-Kerai. Comparison of Fat Harvested from Flank and Falciform Regions for Stem Cell Therapy in Dogs, Vet Sci 2021 Jan 25;8(2):19. doi: 10.3390/vetsci8020019.
Quentin Fournier, Florence Thierry, Maurizio Longo, Alexandra Malbon, Paola Cazzini, Jocelyn Bisson, Samantha Woods, Tiziana Liuti, Spela Bavcar. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound for sentinel lymph node mapping in the routine staging of canine mast cell tumours: A feasibility study, Vet Comp Oncol 2021 Sep;19(3):451-462. doi: 10.1111/vco.12647
Quentin Fournier, Juan-Carlos Serra , Claire Williams , Spela Bavcar. Chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea in dogs and its management with smectite: Results of a monocentric open-label randomized clinical trial, Vet Comp Oncol. 2021 Mar;19(1):25-33. doi: 10.1111/vco.12631
Villedieu EJ, Petite AF, Godolphin JD, Bacon NJ. Prevalence of pulmonary nodules suggestive of metastasis at presentation in dogs with cutaneous or subcutaneous soft tissue sarcoma. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2021 Jan 15;258(2):179-185. doi: 10.2460/javma.258.2.179
Norgate DJ, Nicholls D, Geddes RF, Dawson C, Adami C. Comparison of two protocols for insulin administration and fasting time in diabetic dogs anaesthetised for phacoemulsification: A prospective clinical trial. Vet Rec. 2021 Jun;188(11):e81. doi: 10.1002/vetr.81

Case report

Derré MG, Findji L, McLauchlan G, Guilherme S. Surgical treatment of a circumferential oesophagogastric mass associated with a peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia in a Maine Coon cat. JFMS Open Rep. 2022 May 7;8(1):20551169221090449. https://doi: 10.1177/20551169221090449

Case series

Paulos PE, Boston S, Skinner OT, Liptak JM, Amsellem PM, Fournier Q, Wood CJ, Annoni M, Murgia D, Oblak ML, Dean BL, Baird SD, Kulendra NJ. Outcome with surgical treatment of canine soft tissue sarcoma in the region of the ischiatic tuberosity: A veterinary society of surgical oncology retrospective study. Vet Comp Oncol. 2022 Sep;20(3):669-678. doi: 10.1111/vco.12821
Moser J, Haimel G, Tichy A, Findji L. Partial laryngectomy for the management of laryngeal masses in six cats. J Feline Med Surg. 2022 Apr;24(4):373-380. doi: 10.1177/1098612X211027488

Clinical research

David John Brewer, Michael Macfarlane, Erin O’Connell, Nicholas J Bacon, Toxicity of zoledronic acid after intravenous administration: A retrospective study of 95 dogs, J Vet Intern Med 2022 Jan;36(1):253-258. doi: 10.1111/jvim.16335
Galliano A, Kalmukov IA, Godolphin J, Ferreira R, Norgate DJ, Bacon NJ. Intraoperative cell salvaging: ex vivo evaluation of two swab-washing methods. Am J Vet Res. 2022 Jul 30;83(10):ajvr.22.03.0061. doi: 10.2460/ajvr.22.03.0061
Kalmukov IA, Galliano A, Godolphin J, Ferreira R, Cardoso I, Norgate DJ, Bacon NJ. Ex vivo evaluation of a novel cell salvage device to recover canine erythrocytes. Vet Surg. 2022 Nov;51(8):1223-1230. doi: 10.1111/vsu.13875
Rai T, Morisi A, Bacci B, Bacon NJ, Dark MJ, Aboellail T, Thomas SA, Bober M, La Ragione R, Wells K. Deep learning for necrosis detection using canine perivascular wall tumour whole slide images. Sci Rep. 2022 Jun 23;12(1):10634. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-13928-1
Comas Collgros, N., & Bray, J. P. (2022). Blood glucose monitoring during surgery in dogs to assess completeness of surgical resection of insulinoma: 11 cases, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (published online ahead of print 2022). doi: 10.2460/javma.22.07.0282

Review

Bray J, Eward W, Breen M. Evaluating the relevance of surgical margins. Part one: The problems with current methodology. Vet Comp Oncol. 2022 Oct 29. doi: 10.1111/vco.12865

Clinical research

Morisi A, Rai T, Bacon NJ, Thomas SA, Bober M, Wells K, Dark MJ, Aboellail T, Bacci B, La Ragione RM. Detection of Necrosis in Digitised Whole-Slide Images for Better Grading of Canine Soft-Tissue Sarcomas Using Machine-Learning. Vet Sci. 2023 Jan 8;10(1):45. doi: 10.3390/vetsci10010045

Bray, J.P.; Munday, J.S. Development of a Nomogram to Predict the Outcome for Patients with Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Vet. Sci. 2023, 10, 266. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10040266

Bray, J.P.; Perrott, M.R.; Munday, J.S. Immunostaining for VEGF and Decorin Predicts Poor Survival and Recurrence in Canine Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Vet. Sci. 2023, 10, 256. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10040256

Review

Bray, J, Eward, W, Breen, M. Defining the relevance of surgical margins. Part two: Strategies to improve prediction of recurrence risk. Vet Comp Oncol. 2023; 1– 14. doi:10.1111/vco.12881