Guide Dogs for the Blind Collaborates in Canine Cancer Genome Project

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cancer researcher Elaine A. Ostrander, Ph.D., and Guide Dogs for the Blind of San Rafael, Calif., today announced a collaboration that could dramatically change the health and well-being of canines and humans. Cancer is the No. 1 killer of dogs. Research into cancers and other diseases in canines may provide a better understanding of their development in humans.

Dr. Ostrander is chief of the Cancer Genetics Branch at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Her laboratory is focused on identifying the genes that make dogs and humans susceptible to cancer and other diseases.

Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) tracks the DNA and medical histories of its purebred dogs, and has a great interest in improving and maintaining their health and well-being. These exceptional canines are trained to guide people who are blind safely through the day-to-day experiences most of us take for granted – crossing busy streets, maneuvering through crowds, and getting around obstacles. But at the end of the day, as well-trained as these dogs are, they are still dogs – susceptible to the same diseases and conditions as other animals.

Dr. Ostrander and her colleagues utilize state-of-the-art genomic tools that can genotype 127,000 markers at once. They are currently working to find the gene variants for canine cancer, degenerative joint disease, auto-immune disorders, morphology, behavior, and other complex traits. By utilizing Guide Dogs’ DNA samples, they may be able to advance our knowledge of the role genetics play in disabling diseases and conditions.

Guide Dogs for the Blind is one of many stakeholders contributing to this important research.

About GDB: Guide Dogs for the Blind was established in 1942 to assist veterans blinded in WWII. Today, GDB offers its life-long services free-of-charge to thousands of people throughout the United States and Canada. The organization depends on private donations and receives no government funding. Please visit guidedogs.com or call 800-295-4050.

About the NHGRI: NHGRI is one of the 27 institutes and centers at the NIH, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. NHGRI led the NIH contribution to the International Human Genome Project — an international research effort to determine the location of all human genes and to read the entire set of genetic instructions encoded in human DNA — which has as its primary goal the sequencing of the human genome.

This project was successfully completed in April 2003. Now, NHGRI’s mission has expanded to encompass a broad range of studies aimed at understanding the structure and function of the human genome and its role in health and disease.

Mapping, sequencing and analyzing the genomes of other organisms is critical because these genomes help characterize and interpret the human genome. By improving our understanding of how human genes work, this research can lead to insights into treating and preventing human disease. Visit www.genome.gov for more information.

About Dr. Elaine Ostrander: Dr. Ostrander is senior investigator and chief of the Cancer Genetics Branch within NHGRI’s Division of Intramural Research. Her laboratory maps genes responsible for cancer susceptibility in canines and humans.

Hi-res photos available: http://www.guidedogs.com/highres