8 Things Pet Parents Should Know About Elias Immunotherapy for Canine Cancer

1. Elias Cancer Immunotherapy (ECI) is a new personalized cancer treatment for dogs.

ECI is a personalized treatment that uses your dog’s own tumor cells to activate the immune system against cancer. After the tumor is surgically removed (usually via amputation), live tumor cells are used to make a custom vaccine. This vaccine trains your dog’s immune system to recognize cancer cells. Later, immune cells are collected from your dog’s blood, “supercharged” in the lab, and then returned to your dog through an infusion to attack any remaining cancer.

2. A remarkable 70% one-year survival was recently measured in a recently published study.

Recent data suggest adding some carboplatin doses immediately after surgery before ECI vaccination improved 1-year survival to ~70% vs ~21% for dogs getting conventional osteosarcoma treatment with four-dose carboplatin alone (without ECI). At the Veterinary Cancer Society meeting in Sept 2025, the team also shared the data: 83% 1-year survival rate for dogs who received one dose of carboplatin after surgery.

The dogs that received 1 dose of chemo were surviving longer than the pups that received more chemo doses.

This is based on a small number of dogs, and additional data is being collected with more patients who are receiving single chemo treatment with ECI.

Roscoe, a six-year-old pup diagnosed with osteosarcoma, lived nearly three extra years after receiving the immunotherapy.

3. ECI received full USDA regulatory approval for treating dogs with osteosarcoma, so you don’t need to be part of a clinical trial.

In March 2025, ECI received full USDA regulatory approval for treating dogs with osteosarcoma. That means its availability is no longer limited to clinical trial participants; families across the U.S. can now request it via veterinary specialists offering this treatment. Because ECI is fully approved, it may also be explored for treating cancer types other than osteosarcoma. However, there is no data yet supporting efficacy with other types of cancer.

4. You have to plan BEFORE surgery. You can’t get ECI if surgery is already completed.

The therapy requires live tumor cells to make the vaccine. If you are interested in ECI, tell your vet/oncologist in advance so tumor tissue is collected correctly for vaccine manufacture; once tissue is gone or mishandled, ECI isn’t possible.

5. Most side effects are mild and temporary.

Most side effects are mild and temporary. In early studies, some dogs experienced low white blood cell counts, mild GI upset (like diarrhea), or infusion-related nausea. With premedication and supportive care, these issues were minimized. Importantly, the ECI treatment is much better tolerated than conventional chemotherapy and does not typically cause hair loss or severe illness.

6. ECI works best when there is no visible spread or metastasis at the time of surgery.

Some dogs in trials developed metastasis later and still lived much longer than expected. However, using ECI in dogs with known metastasis upfront has shown less success. Combining ECI with other immune-modulating treatments (such as checkpoint inhibitors or palliative radiation therapy) is being explored in ongoing trials.

7. ECI is a promising therapy for treating many types of solid tumors.

Because ECI is a fully USDA-approved treatment, veterinarians can request ECI off-label for other types of solid tumors where the vaccine could be made from the patient dog’s tumor. Research is ongoing to see how well it works for other cancers like hemangiosarcoma and soft tissue sarcomas.

8. The full ECI treatment may cost around $10,000-13,000 in addition to surgery.

The full treatment, which includes surgery, vaccine preparation, apheresis, T-cell infusion, and IL-2 injections, may cost approximately $20,000; however, costs vary depending on the region and individual case. The good news is that now that it is fully approved, pet insurance companies may cover the treatment costs, but coverage is plan-dependent.

Elias Immunotherapy is available at over 100 clinics in most regions of the U.S. Please refer to this page for the full list of clinics offering ECI.

https://eliasanimalhealth.com/available-locations/

ECI is available in about 30 states. 

And a few more questions and answers.

9. How is Elias Immunotherapy different from chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy works by killing rapidly dividing cells, but it can’t target every resistant cancer cell and often comes with side effects (vomiting, loss of appetite, immune suppression).

Elias Immunotherapy instead activates the dog’s immune system to specifically target cancer cells. It’s generally much more tolerable and aims for long-term immune memory, which may explain long-term survival in subset of patients.

Single dose of chemo added to ECI can enhance ECI efficacy, according to the recent data.

10. How is Elias Immunotherapy different from other cancer vaccines for dogs?

Some vaccines (like Yale EGFR/HER2 peptide vaccines) only target one or two proteins on the tumor. Elias uses the dog’s own live tumor cells, which carry proteins resulting from many mutations unique to that tumor. The immune system can recognize a much wider range of cancer targets, lowering the chance that resistant cancer cells slip through.

11. What are the steps of treatment?

1. Surgery – usually amputation, to remove the tumor and collect tissue.

2. Vaccine creation – Elias lab prepares a personalized vaccine from tumor cells.

3. Vaccine series – injections under the skin to train the immune system.

4. Apheresis – blood filtration to collect immune cells.

5. T-cell infusion – lab-activated killer T-cells are given back.

6. Interleukin-2 injections – a short course of injections to keep T-cells active.

7. Follow-up monitoring – check for recurrence or metastasis.

12. How soon after surgery should the immunotherapy start?

In the published study, vaccination began a median ~20 days post-amputation (range 7–34). Coordinate early to keep timelines tight.

13. Does my dog still need chemotherapy if they get Elias?

Not necessarily. ECI-alone produced a 415-day median survival in the pilot study. That said, one pre-ECI dose of carboplatin was associated with markedly better 1-year survival (~71%) vs standard four-dose carboplatin (~21%).

14. What if my dog can’t have an amputation?

If amputation surgery is not possible, Elias is not an option, since live tumor cells are needed. If surgery is not possible, please explore other treatments, including combination immunotherapy clinical trials (e.g., EGFR/HER2 vaccine + palliative radiation,  Ardent Animal Health’s autologous vaccination + CD200 Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor trial) 

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15. What are the success rates compared to standard treatment?

• Amputation alone: 4–6 months average survival.

• Amputation + chemo (carboplatin): ~10–12 months.

• Amputation + Elias immunotherapy: >12 months, with 20–30% living 2+ years.

• Amputation + 1 dose carboplatin + Elias: ~16 months median survival, with ~70% alive at 1 year.

16. Is this treatment available outside the U.S.?

Currently, approval is only in the United States. Some international families have inquired, but it would require working with Elias directly about logistics. Expansion to other countries may come in the future.

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Check out other articles and videos

• A New Immunotherapy Trial for Dogs with Lung Metastases: The CAALM Study

• Remarkable 12 month survival-rate with Elias Immunotherapy

• Could This Combination Immunotherapy Help Dogs Beat Osteosarcoma (and other aggressive cancers)?

  
  

  

  
  

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Canine Cancer Alliance is a non-profit organization supporting research for canine cancer cures.

All information on the Canine Cancer Alliance website is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinary advice.

Always seek guidance from your veterinarian with any questions regarding your pet’s health and medical condition.