A new genetic discovery opens up possibilities for the better understanding of disease mechanisms and helps us to improve diagnostic methods, treatments and drug development.
Although we work with many genetic traits in dogs, our research focuses on neurological and neurobehavioral conditions such as common epilepsy and anxiety. We have already mapped several new loci and genes in these disorders and believe that the natural canine models provide clinically and physiologically relevant models to corresponding human diseases. Comparison of the identified loci, genes and pathways across species will establish dogs as novel therapeutic models to understand the molecular pathogenesis of these complex traits. Meanwhile, breeders will benefit from the new DNA markers developed to identify the carriers for improved breeding plans.