Progress in Treatment of Equine Melanoma

Gray horses often develop melanomas as they age. These skin tumors are unsightly, sometimes growing quite large and breaking open to expose raw tissue, but they are not considered as dangerous as melanomas in humans, which are often fatal.

Morphogenesis, a private biological firm in Florida, has developed a vaccine that alerts the immune system to fight tumor cells without harming other body tissue. In tests, the ImmuneFX vaccine has been used to treat several types of cancer in dogs and cats. Trials are now taking place to test ImmuneFX against equine melanomas, and promising results have already been achieved. Trials are planned for next year to test the vaccine’s use against melanomas in humans.