Recruiting in Taiwan · September 25, 2026
Taiwan trial tests inhaled IL-15 for canine lung metastases
Evergreen Animal Hospital in Taipei is recruiting dogs with melanoma or osteosarcoma and measurable lung metastases for an IL-15 immunotherapy study.
IL-15, or interleukin-15, is an immune-signaling protein. It does not attack cancer directly like chemotherapy. It stimulates natural killer cells and certain T cells that can recognize and destroy tumor cells.
Dogs with pulmonary metastases receive IL-15 as an aerosol through a breathing mask while awake. The treatment is intended to deliver the immune-stimulating cytokine directly to the lungs, where these cancers commonly spread. The protocol also describes subcutaneous administration.
This approach has published canine evidence, but the results are mixed. In a Phase I study of dogs with visible lung metastases from melanoma or osteosarcoma, the objective response rate was 11% and the clinical benefit rate was 39% among 18 evaluable dogs. A small number had durable responses, including one complete response lasting more than a year.
A later Phase II study tested inhaled IL-15 in a different setting: dogs with localized osteosarcoma received it after amputation and before chemotherapy, when no visible metastases were present. That study was stopped for futility after outcomes were worse than the historical comparison group. These results do not directly answer whether IL-15 may help some dogs with established lung metastases, but they show that timing and treatment context matter.
The Taiwanese study is closer to the original metastatic-disease trial, although its dosing schedule is different. Its phase, enrollment target and interim results have not been published, so the earlier response rates should not be assumed to apply to this protocol.
Who may qualify
Dogs must have confirmed melanoma or osteosarcoma, lung lesions larger than 1 cm, no life-threatening tumor-related symptoms, and no current steroid or other immunosuppressive treatment. The hospital describes weekly treatment for eight weeks, followed by reassessment.
What the study covers
IL-15 is provided at no charge. Owners are responsible for diagnostic testing, supportive medications and other veterinary expenses.
IL-15 is also being studied in human cancer care, and an IL-15 receptor agonist has been approved for one form of bladder cancer. Inhaled IL-15, however, remains an experimental veterinary approach. This is an unusual example of dogs participating at the front edge of immunotherapy research rather than receiving a veterinary adaptation of an established human treatment.
Read the published Phase I study · Read the published Phase II study
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