The American Kennel Club awarded 17 research grants totaling $1.7 million to 13 institutions and universities through the club’s Canine Health Foundation Oak Grant program, the AKC reported today. Many of the grants contain a One Health - One Medicine component, including one that will test the efficacy of a novel procedure to treat canine brain tumors with the eventual goal of translating the procedure to human health care. “Naturally occurring disease in dogs is emerging as the most rigorous model for breakthroughs in treatments and therapies,” said Shila Nordone, the foundation’s chief scientific officer. “One Health - One Medicine allows us to prevent, treat and cure canine disease while simultaneously supporting human health,” she added. Since being founded in 1995, the foundation, which is funded by the AKC, Nestlé Purina PetCare and Pfizer Animal Health, among others, has invested more than $29 million in canine health research. Donations for the grant program may be made through the foundation website. Last year, the program awarded $1.5 million through 21 grants to 14 institutions. Grants awarded through the 2013 program include: Cardiology $51,516: “Identification of Genetic Modifiers That Impact Clinical Expression of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy in the Boxer Dog,” by Kathryn Meurs, DVM, Ph.D., of North Carolina State University. $146,774: “Therapeutic Gene Transfer Abrogates Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy,” by Margaret Sleeper, VMD, of the University of Pennsylvania. Musculoskeletal Conditions and Disease $160,246: “Use of Platelet Rich Plasma-Collagen Scaffold to Stimulate Healing of Cruciate Rupture in Dogs,” by Peter Muir, BVSc, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin. $75,816: “Evaluation of Canine Stifle Cranial Cruciate Ligament Deficiency Surgical Stabilization Procedures Using a Computer Model,” by Gina Bertocci, Ph.D., of the University of Louisville. Neurology $31,104: “Potential Association Between Altered Gut Microbiota and Development of Meningoencephalomyelitis of Unknown Etiology (MUE) in Dogs,” by Nic Jeffery, BVSc, of Iowa State University. Oncology $131,265: “Identification of Diagnostic DNA Copy Number Aberrations in Canine Leukemia,” by Matthew Breen, Ph.D., of North Carolina State University. $29,923: “Developing Resources and Exploring the Role of the Epigenome in Canine Cancer,” by Robert Wayne, Ph.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles. $119,065: “Convection Enhanced Delivery (CED) of Cetuximab Conjugated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (IONPs) for Treatment of Canine Intracranial Gliomas,” by Simon Platt, BVMS, of the University of Georgia. $233,914: “Targeting Multipotency to Arrest Hemangiosarcoma Progression and Improve Outcomes,” by Jaime Modiano, VMD, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota. $96,660: “Clinical Advancement of RNA-Transfected CD40-B Cell Vaccine Technology for Cancer Therapy,” by Nicola Mason, B.Vet.Med., Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania. $118,848: “Evaluation of a Conditionally Replicative Adenoviral Vector for the Treatment of Canine Osteocarcoma,” by Bruce Smith, VMD, Ph.D., of Auburn University. Renal Disease $25,000: “Identifying Disease Related Genes in Renal Dysplasia in Boxers and Additional Breeds,” by Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Ph.D. of the Broad Institute of Cambridge, Mass. $116,184: “Regenerative Medicine Approaches to the Treatment of Urinary Incontinence,” by Shelly Vaden, DVM, Ph.D., of North Carolina State University. General Canine Health $31,000: “High-Throughput (Metagenomic) Sequencing for Identification of Bacteria Associated With Canine Periodontitis and Oral Health,” by Marcello Giggio, Ph.D., of the University of Glasgow. Immunology and Infectious Disease $178,200: “Defining Canine MHC Haplotypes,” by Aravind Ramakrishnan, M.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. $104,867: “Identification of Semiochemicals for the Prevention of Tick-borne Disease Transmission in Dogs,” by Emma Weeks, Ph.D., of the University of Florida. All Program Areas $108,000: “Improve the Dog Gene Annotation via Next-Generation Sequencing Analysis,” by Shaying Zhao, Ph.D., of the University of Georgia. <HOME>
