veterinary school, for example, sees hundreds of domestic dogs and
cats with cancer every year. Through that experience veterinary
researchers have learned that some breeds are more likely than others
to develop certain tumors. That's probably not surprising since
it is through selecting for particular characteristics that new
breeds are developed and refined. But this selection process may
also inadvertently include genes that favor certain types of tumors.
have intense interest in studying the genetic basis of these tumors,
which like breast cancer in humans, follow familial patterns,"
said Pedersen, a virologist and immunologist perhaps best known
for his work in isolating the feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency
virus. "So if we were to learn what causes this predisposition
in the animals, we should be able to translate these findings directly
to humans," said Pedersen.
that end, Pedersen and fellow veterinary researchers are pooling
their finely honed skills in the area of genetic testing with those
of researchers at the UC Davis Cancer Center.
world-renowned Veterinary Genetics Laboratory regularly screens
more than 90,000 DNA samples a year, including 50,000 to 60,000
equine samples from more than 30 breed registries. While the lab,
established in the '50s to establish parentage in cattle, has since
switched from blood samples to DNA samples, it maintains a genetics
database of nearly 1 million blood types collected for parentage
studies on horses, cattle, dogs, goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas and
even buffaloes. It has also studied zoo animals and wildlife, including
Przewalski's horses, coyotes, mountain lions, beavers, bighorn sheep,
deer and elk.
Comparative genetics is an important area of research for veterinary
scientists like Ann Bowling.
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