<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3c.org/TR/1999/REC-html401-19991224/loose.dtd">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3157" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>Subject:</B> USA: Dog genes
help guide scientists toward disease cures<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV><!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlStartT|**|-~-->
<DIV id=ygrp-mlmsg style="WIDTH: 655px; POSITION: relative">
<DIV id=ygrp-msg
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 15px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; Z-INDEX: 1; FLOAT: left; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; WIDTH: 490px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlEndT|**|-~-->
<DIV id=ygrp-text>
<P><BR>Dog genes help guide scientists toward disease cures<BR><BR>Richard
Halstead<BR>Marin Independent Journal<BR><BR>Article Launched:09/<WBR>30/2007
03:41:09 PM PDT<BR><BR>For decades, Guide Dogs for the Blind has trained
dogs<BR>to assist the sightless, and now the San Rafael<BR>nonprofit is working
with government scientists on<BR>research that could help identify the genes
that make<BR>dogs and humans susceptible to cancer and
other<BR>diseases.<BR><BR>Purebred dogs of the type that Guide Dogs uses are
a<BR>geneticist's dream. Because the dogs are highly inbred<BR>and have
well-documented genealogies, they can<BR>greatly simplify the task of tracking
down genetic<BR>mutations that cause disease.<BR><BR>"It's a wonderful
population for us to be able to<BR>study," said Elaine Ostrander, chief of the
cancer<BR>genetics branch at the National Human Genome Research<BR>Institute in
Bethesda, Md.<BR><BR>Ostrander, who has been studying canine genetics for<BR>the
last 20 years, heads the laboratory that is<BR>collaborating with Guide Dogs.
The institute, which<BR>is part of the National Institutes of
Health,<BR>participated in the international research effort that<BR>identified
all the approximately 20,000 to 25,000<BR>genes in human DNA. Half of the
research Ostrander's<BR>lab does focuses on dogs. The other half
is<BR>concentrated on the human breast and prostate cancer.<BR><BR>Genetic
researchers like Ostrander scrutinize the DNA<BR>of humans and animals that have
contracted the same<BR>disease, searching for the genes they hold in<BR>common.
In the case of human cancer, hundreds of genes<BR>have been identified,
Ostrander said. The problem is<BR>determining which of these genes are
playing<BR>the key role in causing the disease. That is where<BR>dogs will prove
so useful, Ostrander said.<BR><BR>"If you're trying to find the genes for a
complex<BR>disease like heart disease, cancer, epilepsy or<BR>Addison's disease,
it's really hard to do it just<BR>studying<BR>human families because there are
so many genes out<BR>there," Ostrander said.<BR><BR>But dogs are different,
Ostrander said. "Within any<BR>single breed - because those breeds survive from
a<BR>small number of founders and are closed populations<BR>- there are probably
only going to be one or two genes<BR>that are important. It's a way for us to
simplify the<BR>complexity that we face."<BR><BR>Patti Van DeCoevering,
veterinary director for Guide<BR>Dogs, met Ostrander during an educational
conference<BR>in Florida several years ago where Ostrander was<BR>lecturing on
the canine genome. DeCoevering struck up<BR>a conversation with Ostrander after
the lecture about<BR>Guide Dogs and the extensive amount of information<BR>the
organization keeps on its dogs.<BR><BR>"You could see her eyes light up when she
realized<BR>what we had," DeCoevering said.<BR><BR>Guide Dogs has maintained a
computer data base<BR>detailing the medical histories and behavioral
traits<BR>of its dogs for more than 10 years. The organization,<BR>which was
founded in 1942 to assist veterans blinded<BR>in World War II, has pedigree
information dating back<BR>several decades, DeCoevering said.<BR><BR>Ostrander
will have a bounty of DNA with which to<BR>work. Because Guide Dogs envisioned
the possibility of<BR>this type of research, it has been storing
blood<BR>samples from its dogs for the last five years. Samples<BR>from about
5,000 dogs are currently being stored at<BR>the University of Missouri,
DeCoevering said.<BR><BR>Ostrander said, "We can look at the DNA and
the<BR>complete life history of dogs who have sadly passed on<BR>at this point.
It gives us a terrific advantage in<BR>doing our work."<BR><BR>This isn't the
first time that Guide Dogs' canines<BR>have played a role in improving human
health. Some<BR>dogs that proved unsuitable to be guide dogs after<BR>being
prepped for the program have been trained to<BR>warn diabetics when their blood
sugar falls<BR>dangerously low. The dogs learn to detect the scent
of<BR>low<BR>blood sugar.<BR><BR>And five dogs participated in a recent study
that<BR>demonstrated their ability to detect lung cancer in<BR>the breath of
cancer sufferers with 99 percent<BR>accuracy.<BR>The study was conducted by the
Pine Street Foundation<BR>based in San Anselmo.<BR><BR>Contact Richard Halstead
via e-mail at<BR><A
href="mailto:rhalstead%40marinij.com">rhalstead@marinij.<WBR>com</A><BR><BR>This
article can be found at: <BR><A
href="http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_7046687">http://www.marinij.<WBR>com/marin/<WBR>ci_7046687</A><BR><BR>____________<WBR>_________<WBR>_________<WBR>_________<WBR>_________<WBR>_________<WBR>_<BR>Take
the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news,
photos & more. <BR><A
href="http://mobile.yahoo.com/go?refer=1GNXIC">http://mobile.<WBR>yahoo.com/<WBR>go?refer=<WBR>1GNXIC</A><BR></P></DIV><!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlStart|**|-~--><SPAN
style="COLOR: white" width="1">__._,_.___</SPAN> <!-- Start the section with Message In topic -->
<DIV id=ygrp-actbar><SPAN class=left><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/message/693;_ylc=X3oDMTMyajF2c2huBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BG1zZ0lkAzY5MwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzExOTEyNTE3MDUEdHBjSWQDNjkz">Messages
in this topic </A>(<SPAN class=bld>1</SPAN>) </SPAN><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJvdTE0Ym80BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BG1zZ0lkAzY5MwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNycGx5BHN0aW1lAzExOTEyNTE3MDU-?act=reply&messageNum=693"><SPAN
class=bld>Reply </SPAN>(via web post) </A>| <A class=bld
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlajNpdXRvBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA250cGMEc3RpbWUDMTE5MTI1MTcwNQ--">Start
a new topic </A></DIV><!------- Start Nav Bar ------><!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->
<DIV id=ygrp-vitnav><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/messages;_ylc=X3oDMTJldms0YWFiBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA21zZ3MEc3RpbWUDMTE5MTI1MTcwNQ--">Messages</A>
</DIV><!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| -->
<DIV id=ygrp-grft><!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->For guide dog handlers
assisting guide dog handlers with advocacy/education--
visit:<BR>www.gdui.org or www.nfb-nagdu.org <!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| --></DIV><!-- yahoo logo --><!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->
<DIV id=ygrp-ft><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkcWFhbjY1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2dmcARzdGltZQMxMTkxMjUxNzA1"><IMG
height=15 alt="Yahoo! Groups"
src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/yg/img/logo/ma_grp_160.gif" width=106
border=0 NOSEND="1"></A> <BR><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/join;_ylc=X3oDMTJmYXVwbW5xBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3N0bmdzBHN0aW1lAzExOTEyNTE3MDU-">Change
settings via the Web</A> (Yahoo! ID required) <BR>Change settings via email: <A
href="mailto:K9Scoop-digest@yahoogroups.com?subject=Email Delivery: Digest">Switch
delivery to Daily Digest</A> | <A
href="mailto:K9Scoop-traditional@yahoogroups.com?subject=Change Delivery Format: Traditional">Switch
format to Traditional</A> <BR><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop;_ylc=X3oDMTJkaGU4aWFvBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2hwZgRzdGltZQMxMTkxMjUxNzA1">Visit
Your Group </A>| <A href="http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/">Yahoo! Groups Terms
of Use </A>| <A
href="mailto:K9Scoop-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=">Unsubscribe
</A></DIV><!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| --></DIV><!-- ygrp-msg --><!-- Sponsor --><!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->
<DIV id=ygrp-sponsor
style="CLEAR: none; RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: white; FLOAT: left; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 25px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; WIDTH: 140px; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 0px"><!-- Network content --><!-- Start vitality -->
<DIV id=ygrp-vital><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop;_ylc=X3oDMTJlbTdxdmptBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwN2dGwEc2xrA3ZnaHAEc3RpbWUDMTE5MTI1MTcwNQ--">Visit
Your Group </A></DIV><!-- Network content -->
<DIV id=nc>
<DIV class=ad>
<DIV id=hd1>Biz Resources</DIV>
<P><A
href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12j4ttm4a/M=493064.10729657.11333348.8674578/D=groups/S=1707505247:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1191258906/A=4025321/R=0/SIG=12a352npd/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=44092/*http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-index">Y!
Small Business</A></P>
<P>Articles, tools,</P>
<P>forms, and more.</P></DIV>
<DIV class=ad>
<DIV id=hd1>Athletic Edge</DIV>
<P><A
href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12j9i3l3c/M=493064.11135487.11710473.8674578/D=groups/S=1707505247:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1191258906/A=4834087/R=0/SIG=11ikjqbtm/*http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/accelerade/">A
Yahoo! Group</A></P>
<P>to connect w/ others</P>
<P>about fitness goals.</P></DIV>
<DIV class=ad>
<DIV id=hd1>Best of Y! Groups</DIV>
<P><A
href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12j8b1in4/M=493064.11127061.11695037.8674578/D=groups/S=1707505247:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1191258906/A=4763759/R=0/SIG=11ou7otip/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/bestofyahoogroups/">Check
it out</A></P>
<P>and nominate your</P>
<P>group to be featured.</P></DIV></DIV></DIV><!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| -->
<DIV style="CLEAR: both; FONT-SIZE: 1px; COLOR: #fff">.</DIV></DIV><IMG height=1
src="http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=7074252/grpspId=1707505247/msgId=693/stime=1191251705/nc1=4025321/nc2=4834087/nc3=4763759"
width=1 NOSEND="1"> <BR><SPAN style="COLOR: white">__,_._,___</SPAN> <!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlEnd|**|-~--><!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlStart|**|-~-->
<STYLE type=text/css>#ygrp-mkp {
BORDER-RIGHT: #d8d8d8 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 14px; BORDER-TOP: #d8d8d8 1px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 14px 0px; BORDER-LEFT: #d8d8d8 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d8d8d8 1px solid; FONT-FAMILY: Arial
}
#ygrp-mkp HR {
BORDER-RIGHT: #d8d8d8 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #d8d8d8 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #d8d8d8 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d8d8d8 1px solid
}
#ygrp-mkp #hd {
FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 85%; MARGIN: 10px 0px; COLOR: #628c2a; LINE-HEIGHT: 122%
}
#ygrp-mkp #ads {
MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px
}
#ygrp-mkp .ad {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
#ygrp-mkp .ad A {
COLOR: #0000ff; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
</STYLE>
<STYLE type=text/css>#ygrp-sponsor #ygrp-lc {
FONT-FAMILY: Arial
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ygrp-lc #hd {
FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 78%; MARGIN: 10px 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 122%
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ygrp-lc .ad {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
</STYLE>
<STYLE type=text/css>#ygrp-mlmsg {
FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif
}
#ygrp-mlmsg TABLE {
}
#ygrp-mlmsg SELECT {
FONT: 99% arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif
}
INPUT {
FONT: 99% arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif
}
TEXTAREA {
FONT: 99% arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif
}
#ygrp-mlmsg PRE {
FONT: 100% monospace
}
CODE {
FONT: 100% monospace
}
#ygrp-mlmsg {
LINE-HEIGHT: 1.22em
}
#ygrp-text {
FONT-FAMILY: Georgia
}
#ygrp-text P {
MARGIN: 0px 0px 1em
}
#ygrp-tpmsgs {
CLEAR: both; FONT-FAMILY: Arial
}
#ygrp-vitnav {
FONT-SIZE: 77%; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana
}
#ygrp-vitnav A {
PADDING-RIGHT: 1px; PADDING-LEFT: 1px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
#ygrp-actbar {
CLEAR: both; MARGIN: 25px 0px; COLOR: #666; WHITE-SPACE: nowrap; TEXT-ALIGN: right
}
#ygrp-actbar .left {
FLOAT: left; WHITE-SPACE: nowrap
}
.bld {
FONT-WEIGHT: bold
}
#ygrp-grft {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 77%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 15px; PADDING-TOP: 15px; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana
}
#ygrp-ft {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #666 1px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 77%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana
}
#ygrp-mlmsg #logo {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px
}
#ygrp-vital {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 8px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 8px; PADDING-TOP: 2px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e0ecee
}
#ygrp-vital #vithd {
FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 77%; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: #333; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana
}
#ygrp-vital UL {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 2px 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
#ygrp-vital UL LI {
CLEAR: both; BORDER-RIGHT: #e0ecee 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #e0ecee 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #e0ecee 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #e0ecee 1px solid; LIST-STYLE-TYPE: none
}
#ygrp-vital UL LI .ct {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0.5em; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FLOAT: right; WIDTH: 2em; COLOR: #ff7900; TEXT-ALIGN: right
}
#ygrp-vital UL LI .cat {
FONT-WEIGHT: bold
}
#ygrp-vital A {
TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
#ygrp-vital A:hover {
TEXT-DECORATION: underline
}
#ygrp-sponsor #hd {
FONT-SIZE: 77%; COLOR: #999
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov {
PADDING-RIGHT: 13px; PADDING-LEFT: 13px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 6px; PADDING-TOP: 6px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e0ecee
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov UL {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 8px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov LI {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 77%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 6px; PADDING-TOP: 6px; LIST-STYLE-TYPE: square
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov LI A {
FONT-SIZE: 130%; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
#ygrp-sponsor #nc {
PADDING-RIGHT: 8px; PADDING-LEFT: 8px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #eee
}
#ygrp-sponsor .ad {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 8px; PADDING-TOP: 8px
}
#ygrp-sponsor .ad #hd1 {
FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: #628c2a; LINE-HEIGHT: 122%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial
}
#ygrp-sponsor .ad A {
TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
#ygrp-sponsor .ad A:hover {
TEXT-DECORATION: underline
}
#ygrp-sponsor .ad P {
MARGIN: 0px
}
o {
FONT-SIZE: 0px
}
.MsoNormal {
MARGIN: 0px
}
#ygrp-text TT {
FONT-SIZE: 120%
}
BLOCKQUOTE {
MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 4px
}
.replbq {
}
</STYLE>
<!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlEnd|**|-~--><!--End group email --></BODY></HTML>