In November of 2024 we shared details of research that the Canine Genetics Centre had started, in collaboration with dog breeders and clinicians in Australia, to identify the genetic cause of an apparently novel inherited neurological disorder in Welsh Springer Spaniels. Continue reading
This week we turn our attention to another of our valuable team members, our Bioinformatician and “crazy dog lady”, Ellen Schofield. Ellen joined our group back in 2016 when we were still based at the Animal Health Trust and moved with the team to Cambridge in 2021. We talked to Ellen about her work, and learn about how she came to find a job that, simply put, seems made for her! Continue reading
Geneticists from the Canine Genetics Centre, along with veterinary cardiologists and neurologists from the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, are becoming increasingly concerned by reports of sudden, unexpected deaths in young Labrador Retrievers – often occurring during rest or sleep – in dogs that appeared otherwise healthy. Continue reading
Earlier this week, Dr. Cathryn Mellersh gave an online presentation where she highlighted a few of the significant milestones the Canine Genetics Centre has reached, and shared an important message about the future. We hope you joined us but if not, you can watch the presentation below and read more about what we are aiming to achieve. Continue reading
The Canine Genetics Centre (CGC) is enormously proud of its publication record. Since the year 2000 the CGC team members have published well over 100 peer-reviewed papers, the majority in open-access scientific journals with global readership. However we are often asked “why publish our results and give away our secrets”, so this week we are going to answer that very question. Continue reading
The Canine Genetics Centre is excited to be resuming its research into primary glaucoma in dogs. This article explains what glaucoma is, and what we are doing to resume our investigations of this painful and blinding canine disease. Continue reading
Since our last update, the CGC Idiopathic Epilepsy (IE) project has had a great response to our call for samples. A huge thank you to everyone who has sent us swabs or completed our epilepsy questionnaire, especially those of you who have been organising big batches of cheek swab DNA collection kits! Continue reading
In January of this year we published our research into an inherited eye disease called retinopathy with vitamin E deficiency (RVED) in English Cocker Spaniels. You may have heard of this disease before under a different name, perhaps central progressive retinal atrophy or retinal pigment epithelial dystrophy. Continue reading
The Canine Genetics Centre has worked closely with many breeds over the years, to investigate inherited disorders that represent a challenge to their health. In the next of our series, we focus on the Gordon Setter, a breed that the CGC started to work alongside over 15 years ago, when a new and emerging form of late onset progressive retinal atrophy first became apparent in this breed. Continue reading
April 25th is National DNA Day and commemorates the day in 1953 when James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins and co-workers published the structure of DNA in the journal Nature. Continue reading
