Genetic Research Fund (no longer active)

February 2016

"Welcome to Give a Dog a Genome, a new initiative launched by the Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the AHT to create the UK’s largest canine genome bank to help generations of dogs.

This genome bank will improve dog health by radically increasing our understanding of the canine genome. We aim to sequence the entire genomes (all 2.4 billion letters of DNA) of 50 different dog breeds by the end of 2016, but we need your help to do so.

Further information can be found on this link

WHI announced: Having made a donation of £500 to the SCWT Club of GB to be matched with the Club's similar contribution towards genetic sequencing of one SCWT, we intend to use the remainder of the fund, which stands at £2,000 to enable another Wheaten to be sequenced.

WHI would like to thank all supporters who have made this incredible donation possible.


Genetic testing will eventually be the key to identifying which health problems a dog may be at risk of developing and may in the future provide the means of eliminating some canine illnesses all together.

The first draft of the “Canine Genome Sequence” was made freely available to researchers in 2004. Since that time, genetic markers for many hereditary diseases have been identified, such as:

Centronuclear Myopathy in Labrador Retrievers

Copper Toxicosis in Bedlington Terriers

and Hereditary Cataracts in Staffordshire Bull Terriers

GRF

and many other research projects have also been succesfully concluded in the last few years

Our primary aim at WHI is to support research which tries to establish a reliable method of identifying Protein Losing diseases in the SCWT in its early stages. However, establishing the mode of inheritance of any hereditary forms of disease and identifying the gene/s responsible may be the only way to ultimately eliminate them.

We established the Genetic Research Fund in response to requests and donations from many WHI supporters. The money in this fund will be made available to researchers pursuing a genetic solution to any hereditary diseases identified in the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier,

 


May 15, 2012 A donation of £532.90, (just over $800 USD) was made from this Fund to Drs Meryl Littman and Paula Henthorn, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. This in support and recognition of their recent research into genetic testing for PLN-Variant Genes in Wheaten Terriers.

click here for Dr Littman's reply (pdf format)