Cancer vaccines for dogs

ONCEPT is a licensed vaccine for dogs with stage II or III oral melanoma. It is given after the tumor in the mouth has been treated with surgery or radiation. It is intended to help control cancer cells that may remain elsewhere in the body. It does not replace treatment of the original tumor.

The vaccine teaches the dog's immune system to recognize tyrosinase, a protein found in melanoma cells. It uses the human version of the protein because it is different enough to attract the immune system, but similar enough for the response to recognize canine melanoma cells too.

The initial course is four doses given two weeks apart, followed by boosters every six months.

The study used for licensing suggested longer survival than a historical control group, but it was not a randomized trial with a concurrent control arm. Later studies have produced mixed results, and a review of the published evidence concluded that a survival benefit remains uncertain. The published numbers should not be read as a promise of a specific survival gain for an individual dog.

Status: licensed veterinary cancer vaccine. It complements local treatment rather than replacing it.

Official ONCEPT information

This experimental vaccine is being studied in dogs with osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, or transitional cell carcinoma, also called bladder or urothelial cancer. It is not an approved treatment and is available only through participating study sites.

The vaccine was developed by a Yale team led by Mark Mamula and is now being evaluated through TheraJan in a USDA-regulated study. It trains the immune system to recognize two proteins, EGFR and HER2, that can be found on cancer cells.

As of September 2026, the study is open. The individual clinical site decides whether a dog qualifies. Yale and an online trial match cannot make that decision.

The vaccine itself is currently supplied without charge to participating sites and owners. The owner remains responsible for evaluation, testing, and vaccine administration costs because the study is not fully funded.

Canine Cancer Alliance reports that more than 600 dogs have received the vaccine, and its updates include some striking long-term responders. Those individual cases are not proof that another dog will have the same result. The current program is still collecting efficacy data, and USDA has not established the product's safety and efficacy.

Status: experimental vaccine in an active USDA-regulated clinical study.

TheraJan study information
Current study locations and updates

The University of Minnesota is testing a new vaccine for dogs with malignant oral melanoma. This is an experimental treatment available only through the clinical trial.

The vaccine uses an adeno-associated virus, or AAV, as a delivery vehicle. The modified virus carries instructions intended to help the immune system recognize the cancer. The study checks dogs for existing antibodies to AAV because those antibodies may interfere with the vaccine.

Dogs must have biopsy-confirmed oral malignant melanoma, at least stage I, be at least one year old, weigh at least 5 kg (11 lb), and meet additional health criteria. Dogs that have already received ONCEPT are excluded. The study also tests for pre-existing neutralizing antibodies to the AAV delivery system.

The protocol includes staging, treatment of the tumor with surgery or radiation when appropriate, vaccination and scheduled follow-up. The study covers trial-related visits and provides up to a $4,000 credit toward local treatment performed at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center. Costs beyond that credit remain the owner's responsibility.

Status: active clinical trial, open and enrolling as of September 2026.

University of Minnesota trial page

ELIAS Cancer Immunotherapy is not simply a vaccine. It is a vaccine-enhanced adoptive T-cell therapy. Tumor tissue from the dog is used to make a personalized series of cancer-cell vaccines. The dog's immune cells are then collected, activated outside the body, and returned by infusion.

ECI is distributed under a USDA Autologous Prescription Product license for canine osteosarcoma. It is available through trained oncology centers in the United States, so a dog does not have to enter a trial to receive the licensed product. The full protocol is required. ELIAS specifically states that the vaccine step is not offered by itself.

There are also active studies of ECI combinations. In September 2026, ELIAS lists an enrolling study at the University of Missouri combining ECI with a novel adjuvant after surgery, and a prospective study combining ECI with chemotherapy.

Because the vaccine is manufactured from the dog's tumor, planning must happen before amputation or other treatment that would make usable tumor tissue unavailable.

Status: USDA-licensed autologous prescription product for canine osteosarcoma, plus active clinical studies of combination protocols.

Official ECI treatment information
Authorized ECI treatment centers
Current ELIAS clinical studies

Some cancer vaccines are made separately for each dog from tissue removed during surgery. These are called autologous tumor vaccines. If this option is being considered, the oncology team may need to arrange collection and handling of fresh tumor tissue before the operation.

The processed tissue exposes the immune system to material from that dog's cancer. The idea is promising, but personalized does not mean proven to work better. In a small K9-ACV study, 17 of 20 dogs that completed vaccination developed a measurable immune response. A response in a laboratory test does not necessarily mean longer survival.

A 2026 review examined 24 studies of these vaccines in dogs. They were generally well tolerated. The strongest signs of clinical benefit were in lymphoma, while the evidence for many solid tumors was still limited and difficult to compare.

One example is APAVAC/Vaxkit, an autologous vaccine platform used with chemotherapy in canine B-cell lymphoma. Availability and regulatory status differ by product and country, so owners should ask exactly which product is being proposed and what evidence exists for that diagnosis.

Status: varies by product. Some are veterinarian-directed products; others remain investigational.

APAVAC / Vaxkit information

This experimental vaccine has been studied in dogs with osteosarcoma after amputation and chemotherapy. It is a research treatment, not a standard vaccine that an oncologist can routinely order.

The vaccine uses a weakened form of Listeria bacteria to draw the immune system's attention to HER2, a protein found on some cancer cells.

The first study included only 18 dogs. Fifteen developed an immune response to HER2, and comparison with dogs treated previously suggested fewer metastases and longer survival.

A much larger prospective multicenter study then treated 118 dogs. It did not show a statistically significant improvement in disease-free interval or overall survival compared with the historical standard-treatment group.

A 2026 pilot study combined palliative radiation with Listeria-HER2 immunotherapy in 15 dogs. Five had notably longer local control and survival associated with certain immune characteristics. That result is interesting, but 15 dogs are not enough to establish a new standard of care.

Status: experimental research platform, not standard osteosarcoma treatment.

An experimental vaccine has been studied in 28 dogs with aggressive hemangiosarcoma. The dogs received it after standard surgery and doxorubicin chemotherapy. This vaccine is not currently a routine treatment.

It was made from short pieces of proteins, called peptides, selected to help the immune system recognize the cancer.

The investigators documented tumor-specific immune responses and did not observe serious vaccine-related toxicity. Outcomes were compared with a retrospective group of 32 dogs rather than a randomized concurrent control group.

This is useful evidence that the vaccine can generate an immune response and appears feasible, but it is not enough to treat the approach as established therapy.

Status: research evidence; not a standard commercially available hemangiosarcoma vaccine.

Most cancer vaccines are given after a dog already has cancer. The VACCS project asked a different question: could a vaccine reduce the chance of cancer developing in a healthy dog?

The Vaccination Against Canine Cancer Study (VACCS) enrolled 804 healthy dogs in a randomized, placebo-controlled study. Its purpose was to test a multivalent vaccine before cancer appeared and then follow the dogs for cancer development over time.

This is fundamentally different from ONCEPT, the Yale vaccine, or an autologous tumor vaccine. There is currently no universal preventive cancer vaccine available for dogs in routine veterinary practice.

Status: prevention research, not an available routine vaccine.