Dog disease research at Broad Institute

Osteosarcoma is the most common bone tumor of dog. This cancer develops in the bone, usually the limbs, and as the tumor grows it becomes progressively more painful for the dog and can result in lameness. Often these tumors metastasize to the lungs. Giant breeds are at the greatest risk for developing osteosarcomas.

Breeds needed for our study: Rottweilers, Greyhounds, Mastiffs, Leonbergers, Golden Retrievers, Irish Wolfhounds, Great Pyrenees, Great Danes, Borzoi, and Scottish Deerhounds

Main collaborators: Kenine Comstock (The University of Michigan), Jaime Modiano (University of Minnesota), Cheryl London (Ohio State University), Elizabeth McNeil (Michigan State University), Matthew Breen (North Carolina State University)

Funding: AKC/CHF

Hemangiosarcomas are rapidly growing and highly invasive, blood-fed tumors. Blood vessels grow from the tumor and often cause death through excessive blood loss due to rupturing of the tumor.

Breeds needed for our study: Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Chinese Shar-Peis, Boxers, Pugs, and Rhodesian Ridgebacks

Main collaborator: Chieko Azuma (Tufts University)

Funding: AKC/CHF

MCTs are cancerous proliferations of mast cells. Although they can and will spread throughout the body, the danger from MCTs comes from the secondary damage caused by the release of chemicals the tumors produce. These chemicals can cause systemic problems that include gastric ulcers, internal bleeding, and a range of allergic manifestations.

Breeds needed for our study: Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Pugs, Shar-Peis, and Boxers

Main collaborators: Cheryl London (Ohio State University), Lisa Barber (Tufts University)

Funding: Morris Animal Foundation

A cancer of the lymphocytes that can occur in the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and other organs. Characteristics are high white blood cell count, swollen lymph glands, lethargy, and loss of appetite. It is a treatable cancer, but if left untreated, it will eventually lead to death. A number of B- and T-cell subtypes exist.

Breeds needed for our study: Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels, Rottweilers, and Boxers

Collaborator: Matthew Breen (North Carolina State University)

Funding: Pending

Tumors of the mammary gland are the most common tumors found in unspayed female dogs. Several subtypes exist but may segregate in the same families.

Breeds needed for our study: English Springer Spaniels, Boxers, and Cocker Spaniels

Main collaborators: Henrik von Euler (Swedish University of Agricultural Science), Elizabeth McNeil (Michigan State University)

Funding: Pending

Melanoma is a cancer of melanocytes (the pigment-producing cells of the skin). Irregular cells develop when the melanocytes erratically multiply and invade surrounding tissue. Malignant melanomas can spread from the original tumor and travel through the blood to other vessels and organs.

Breeds needed for our study: Scottish Terriers, Cocker Spaniels, Labrador Retrievers, Rottweilers, and other breeds.

Main collaborators: Phil Bergman (Animal Medical Center), Catherine André (Université de Rennes)

Funding: Pending

FSF is a condition that causes dangerously high recurrent fevers, which can be accompanied by swollen hocks and muzzles and can even result in renal and liver failure.

Breeds needed for our study: Chinese Shar-Peis

Main collaborators: Francesca Puppo (National Institutes of Health), Daniel Kastner (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

*Note - sample collection primarily at NIH

Also known as hypoadrenocorticism or adrenal insufficiency, Addison’s is caused by an insufficient production of adrenal hormones by a kidney’s adrenal gland. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, poor appetite, pain in the hindquarters, and generalized muscle weakness.

Breeds needed for our study: Poodles and Bearded Collies

Main collaborators: Anita Oberbauer (University of California, Davis), Åke Hedhammar (Swedish University of Agricultural Science)

*Note - sample collection also at UCD and SUAS

Lymphocytic thyroiditis is an immune-related destruction of the thyroid gland that can result in sluggishness, obesity, skin disease, cold intolerance, hair loss, weakness, poor coat, and infertility. This disease is also one of the leading causes of primary hypothyroidism.

Breeds needed for our study: Giant Schnauzers, Doberman Pinschers, and Leonbergers.

Main collaborator: Åke Hedhammar (Swedish University of Agricultural Science)

Our white coat color study serves as proof of principle for association mapping using the canine SNP arrays. Breeding studies in the 1950s by Clarence Little designated the white coat variant as the extreme white, or sw, allele of the major white spotting locus (S). Several other alleles were also suggested to share the same locus, including Irish spotting (si), and piebald spotting (sp).

Breeds needed for our study: Complete

Main collaborators: Leif Andersson (Uppsala University), Göran Andersson (Swedish University of Agricultural Science)

DS is a congenital disorder where, during embryonic development, the tissues that are to become skin to do not properly separate from the tissues that are to become the nervous system. Dermoid sinuses occur as tubular structures of the skin on the middle of the back, which can penetrate into the spinal canal and become infected, painfully swollen and life threatening for the dog.

Breeds needed for our study: Rhodesian Ridgeback and Thai Ridgeback

Main collaborators: Göran Andersson (Swedish University of Agricultural Science), Leif Andersson (Uppsala University)

*Note - sample collection at SUAS

DM is a degenerative neurological disease where the dog’s immune system attacks both the myelin and axons of the nerves in the spinal cord (similar to multiple sclerosis in humans). The first signs are hind limb weakness and lack of coordination which can progress to a complete inability to walk.

Breeds needed for our study: Boxers and Corgis

Main collaborator: Joan Coates (University of Missouri)

JRD is an inherited condition affecting the developmental maturation of the kidney. The key clinical signs of JRD include (but are not limited to) excess water intake and urination from a young age (8 weeks to 2 years of age), and small, irregular-shaped kidneys observed by ultrasound examination, often leading to renal failure.

Breeds needed for our study: Boxers and Shih Tzus

Main collaborator: Åke Hedhammar (Swedish University of Agricultural Science)

DCM is a disease of the heart muscle that can result in enlarged heart chambers, valve leakage and, in turn, weakened contractions and difficulty pumping blood out to the body and lungs. DCM is most commonly seen in large breed dogs, but it can be found in smaller breed dogs.

Breeds needed for our study: Boxers, Doberman Pinschers, and Newfoundlands

Collaborators: Kathryn Meurs (Washington State University), Åke Hedhammar (Swedish University of Agricultural Science)

*Note - sample collection at WSU and SUAS