Research and treatment access · October 27, 2026
T-cell therapy for canine B-cell lymphoma: results from 82 dogs
A study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association on October 5 reports outcomes in 82 dogs with B-cell lymphoma that received adoptive T-cell therapy after CHOP chemotherapy. The treatment uses the dog's own immune cells, grown and activated in a laboratory before being returned by infusion. It is already offered through veterinary arrangements, although it remains experimental.
What the treatment involves
Aurelius Biotherapeutics prepares this personalized treatment from a blood sample. T lymphocytes are isolated, activated and multiplied outside the body. These are immune cells that can participate in an attack on cancer. The aim is to return a larger population of active cells capable of helping control the lymphoma.
Aurelius says its process includes exposure to tumor antigens, the material immune cells recognize. That describes the intended mechanism; it does not establish that the cells will control cancer in every patient.
This is not CAR-T therapy. Aurelius does not genetically modify the cells to add a new cancer-recognizing receptor. It uses the dog's own T cells, expanded and activated in culture.
Who it is for and what the study found
The new publication concerns dogs with B-cell lymphoma treated after CHOP, a chemotherapy combination of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone. It does not establish the same benefit for T-cell lymphoma, other cancers or cats, or show that cell therapy can replace CHOP.
Researchers retrospectively reviewed records from 2017–2025. Median overall survival was 660 days from diagnosis and 368 days from the first cell infusion. Median time from the first infusion to the next lymphoma treatment was 317 days. That last measure is not the same as a documented remission duration.
Adverse events were recorded in four dogs, approximately 5%; most were mild or moderate, with one grade 3 event.
These results are worth investigating further, but the study had no concurrent comparison group receiving CHOP alone. Dogs also had to survive long enough to receive the cell treatment. The 660 days therefore cannot be interpreted as time added by immunotherapy. A controlled prospective study is needed to establish its contribution.
How to access treatment
Owners can ask their veterinary oncologist to contact Aurelius Biotherapeutics in Bellingham, Washington, to discuss suitability and current availability. Aurelius publishes a procedure in which the treating clinic sends a blood sample and receives the prepared cells back for infusion. Travel to the laboratory is therefore not necessarily required.
According to its veterinarian instructions, preparation takes approximately 14–21 days. Shipping and the infusion appointment must be coordinated closely because the cells have a short administration window after arrival. Aurelius also describes cyclophosphamide preparation before the first infusion; this must be arranged by the treating team.
Contact: info@aureliusbio.com or (360) 734-0720.
Veterinarian information: https://aureliusbio.com/veterinarians/
Before arranging collection, ask the team to confirm eligibility, timing relative to chemotherapy, the number of infusions, monitoring and the total cost including shipping and clinic fees. We did not find a confirmed current treatment price in the official pages reviewed.
Veterinary Oncology Services, led by study coauthor Dr. Joseph Impellizeri, also lists adoptive T-cell therapy among its services:
https://petcancerinformation.com/services/t-cell-therapy
As of October 27, Aurelius describes its therapy as experimental, states that safety and efficacy have not been established, and says USDA licensure is pending. Access outside a trial does not make it an established standard treatment.
A separate Aurelius/Lytix study combines cell therapy with an oncolytic peptide and has its own eligibility and funding conditions. Its advertised funding should not be assumed to cover the treatment discussed here.
The useful development is that there are now published outcomes from a larger group of treated dogs. Whether adding these cells improves survival over CHOP alone remains the question the next studies need to answer.