How an mRNA vaccine helped this dog beat cancer
When Paul Conyngham's dog Rosie was diagnosed with terminal cancer, vets said she had just months left.
But instead of giving up, Paul, an AI consultant from Australia, decided to fight back using tech skills and a lot of determination.
How Paul developed a custom mRNA vaccine for Rosie
Paul had Rosie's healthy and tumor genomes sequenced at the Ramaciotti Centre for Genomics (UNSW) for about A$3,000 and used tools like ChatGPT and AlphaFold to design a custom mRNA vaccine.
After he mapped out the science, UNSW researchers helped develop the personalized mRNA vaccine, which was delivered as part of a veterinary research program.
Rosie got her 1st shot in December 2025
Rosie got her first shot in December 2025. Within weeks, her main tumor shrank and she was back to chasing rabbits with new energy.
As UNSW professor Pall Thordarson put it, "This is the first time a personalized cancer vaccine has been designed for a dog," and it could open doors for human cancer treatments too.