| Please help the AHT's study on osteosarcoma in Irish Wolfhounds! |
The Animal Health Trust (AHT) Oncology Research Group continues to need the help of Irish Wolfhound owners to collect samples for its study (http://www.aht.org.uk/science_oncolres.html #osteo) seeking to identify inherited genetic defects that increase the risk of Wolfhounds developing osteosarcoma.
Between June 2005 and June 2009, with the support of The Irish Wolfhound Club and The Irish Wolfhound Society and their members, samples from 212 Wolfhounds have been collected, including 36 from dogs with osteosarcoma. The AHT successfully applied to the United States-based Morris Animal Foundation for funding, and in September 2008 started a study looking for differences between genetic markers present in DNA samples from 28 Wolfhounds with osteosarcoma and 20 Wolfhounds that had never had cancer. Unfortunately, so far it has not been possible to identify genetic markers that are only present in the DNA samples from dogs with osteosarcoma, and so many more samples from both Wolfhounds with osteosarcoma, and Wolfhounds aged 6 or above who have never had cancer, are required.
If you would like to submit a sample for this study, please contact Lisa Jeffery (Tel.: 01638 751000, extension 1214; E-mail: lisa.jeffery@aht.org.uk) at the AHT. In addition, if you have previously submitted a sample for this project and your dog has subsequently developed cancer please notify the AHT.
This is an IWHG supported study.
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Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer of dogs, and in 2006 a Kennel Club/British Small Animal Veterinary Association Purebred Dog Health Survey reported that it was the most common cause of death in Irish Wolfhounds. With the support of The Irish Wolfhound Society and The Irish Wolfhound Club and their members, since June 2005 we have been collecting samples from Wolfhounds to enable a study of the genetics of this disease. At present, we have collected samples from 212 Wolfhounds, including 36 from dogs with osteosarcoma.
We wish to identify the genes that, when defective, are associated with the increased risk of Wolfhounds developing osteosarcomas. In the long term, we hope that the research will lead to the development of tests to identify dogs that carry the gene mutations conferring an increased risk, allowing breeders to take this into consideration in their breeding programmes. A realistic objective would be to attempt to reduce the incidence of dogs affected with osteosarcoma. Identification of 'osteosarcoma susceptibility genes' will also improve our understanding of how these tumours develop, thereby ultimately assisting the development of new therapies.
For a conventional genetic study, approaching 100 samples from both affected and non-affected dogs are likely to be required. However, as it became apparent that we were unlikely to be able to collect this number of samples from Wolfhounds with osteosarcoma in the foreseeable future we decided to try an alternative novel approach of genetic analysis, which requires a much smaller number of samples.
In July 2008, we successfully applied to the United States-based Morris Animal Foundation for £29,400 to undertake a one year study to attempt to locate osteosarcoma susceptibility genes in the Irish Wolfhound. We started the study in September 2008 and have been looking for differences between genetic markers present in DNA samples from Wolfhounds with osteosarcoma (referred to as 'affected dogs') and Wolfhounds that had never had cancer (known as 'control dogs'). In the course of the study we have identified the genetic markers present at 22,000 positions across the 39 dog chromosomes in DNA samples from each of 28 affected Wolfhounds and 20 control dogs. The aim is to identify combinations of genetic markers (known as 'haplotypes') that are shared by all the Wolfhounds with osteosarcoma and not by the control dogs. If such markers are identified they are likely to be located in the same regions of the chromosomes concerned as the genetic defects that increase the risk of developing osteosarcomas.
Unfortunately, so far it has not been possible to identify genetic markers that are only present in the DNA samples from dogs with osteosarcoma. Therefore, it is likely that we will need to pursue our original plan of comparing DNA samples from around 100 Wolfhounds with osteosarcoma and an equal number of samples from Wolfhounds (aged 6 or above) who have never had cancer. The 'genetic profiles' already derived from the DNA samples from the 28 affected Wolfhounds and 20 control dogs will be re-analysed in combination with additional genetic data that we will generate from DNA samples that we will hopefully be able to collect from additional affected and control Wolfhounds.
If you would like to submit a sample for this study, please refer to the details of how you can help that follow below. In addition, if you have previously submitted a sample for this project and your dog has subsequently developed cancer, please notify Lisa Jeffery (contact details below) at the AHT.
Thank you for your continued help and support.
Dr. Mike Starkey
Oncology Research Group
June 2009
Irish Wolfhound owners can help this project as follows:
A). If your dog has a suspected osteosarcoma:
| - If you have advance notice of your vet removing a
biopsy, contact the AHT (contact details below) to ask
for a special preservative ('RNAlater'), in which to collect the small piece of
tissue, to be sent to the vet OR - Ask your vet to place a small piece of the biopsy of the suspected tumour in a freezer, and then ask the vet to contact the AHT (contact details below) to ask to be sent a special solvent ('QIAzol') in which to transport the piece of tissue |
B). If your dog does not have cancer (and has not had cancer) and is at least 6 years old:
For any queries or more information about the project, please contact: Dr. Mike Starkey (Tel: 01638 555603; E-mail: mike.starkey@aht.org.uk; Website: http://www.aht.org.uk/science_oncolres.html #osteo).
To submit a blood sample, or request a cheek swab kit and/or an RNAlater/QIAzol sample tube (for a tumour biopsy), please contact: Lisa Jeffery (Tel: 01638 751000, extension 1214; E-mail: lisa.jeffery@aht.org.uk).
This study is supported by the Irish Wolfhound
Health Group