Additional Billman Protocols and Publications

 

Protocol 00A0053 - Mechanisms Responsible for Ventricular Fibrillation which is a continuation of previous protocols : 86A0108, 88A0232, 92A0110, 91A0044, and 93A0246. 90 “Mongrel dogs” were approved for use in the original protocol back in December of 1993 with an additional 30 dogs approved in September of 1996. Projects are given a new protocol number after 6 years, so in May 2000, 150 additional dogs were also approved for use in protocol, 00A0053.

A paper published in February 2002 indicates he will be taking his dog work in the direction of exercise and the heart. There are many publications that have studied humans and I believe it might even be common knowledge - maybe even common sense - indicating that exercise is good for your heart. Billman makes the same observation in the abstract of his paper but that's no reason to stop killing dogs.

Dr. Billman receives dogs from class B dealer, Robert Perry. 37 dogs were received in 2003 with one dog found dead in its cage on February 14, 2003, a common occurrence with his protocols.

Billman requested an amendment in October 2002. Here is the exchange between Billman and the OSU ILACUC.

ILACUC to Billman - Provide a further description as to how the work proposed in your letter relates to the work originally approved.

Billman response - It is the purpose of my research to investigate the mechanisms responsible for sudden cardiac death (ventricular fibrillation). This protocol describes the basic techniques used in this study. It was my understanding that this protocol was a generic protocol that could be modified to meet the changing requirements as my studies progress. ... It is well established that aerobic exercise conditioning can alter cardiac autonomic regulation. Therefore, it is likely that daily exercise could lead to changes in the autonomic control that protects against ventricular fibrillation. As such, exercise could become a non-pharmacological intervention to prevent sudden death in patients. Thus, I wish to modify the existing protocol so that exercise rather than drug interventions are used to alter cardiac autonomic to regulation and thereby prevent ventricular fibrillation.

George E. Billman has been using a dog model for heart attacks since the 1980’s.
The effects of daily exercise on susceptibility to sudden cardiac death. Circulation 1984 Jun; 69(6): 1182-9.

And his dog model: An experimental preparation for sudden cardiac death.Circulation. 1984 Apr; 69(4): 790-800

 

This model was used in his experiments to study the effects of cocaine on cardiac electrical properties and effects of calcium channel antagonists and sudden cardiac death. The preliminary step in these projects is to induce a heart attack (ventricular fibrillation) in the dogs. Generally 33% of the dogs do not survive this portion of the experiment.

Laboratory Animal Disposition Forms list the deaths:
1/14/94 died acutely due to ventricular fibrillation
6/21/93 died after surgery
2/14 died post-op complications
5/06/00 found dead in cage
7/12-13/00 three dogs are listed as found dead in cage.

And from the records we keep:

Two dogs identified as 2448 and 2449 were obtained by Robert Perry from a person in Maize, Kentucky on 10/15/05. On 2/14/06 the dogs were sold to OSU by Perry, and on 2/15/06, both dogs were killed.

These dogs are in protocol 01A0148 - Mechanisms Responsible for Myocardial Stunning.

Research Funding:
• "Effect of Daily Exercise on Cardiac Autonomic Regulation". NIH, $1,000,000, 07-01-02/06-30-06.

At the March 2006 ILACUC meeting Billman was approved to use an additional 210 dogs over the next three year!

2006A0051 - Mechanisms Responsible for Ventricular Fibrillation replaces 2000A0053.
90 dogs (30 per year) will be used in these experiments. As in all the Billman protocols, dogs will be run on treadmills and subjected to being placed in ventricular fibrillation. All the dogs are killed at the end of the study.

In June 2006, an amendment was approved to use an additional 14 dogs. A pilot study, to transfect cardiac autonomic nerves with neuronal nitric oxide synthase, completed in June 2005 using 9 dogs provided 'proof of concept' and so the additional animals were requested and approved by IACUC for use.