Osteosarcoma is a devastating disease that affects many dog breeds. Although osteosarcoma is typically a disease of older dogs, in some breeds, such as the Irish Wolfhound, dogs can be affected at a young age. This study will investigate the genetic basis of early-onset osteosarcoma in the Irish Wolfhound breed. Osteosarcoma is responsible for ~20% of deaths in the Irish Wolfhound breed, with many dogs being diagnosed before 5 years of age. Consequently, there is a critical need to advance understanding of the genetic basis of early-onset osteosarcoma in the Irish Wolfhound. State-of-the-art DNA sequencing will provide insight into an osteosarcoma-associated genetic variant that strongly influences disease risk in young Irish Wolfhounds. This discovery, with subsequent development of a genetic screening test, will contribute to selective breeding decisions to decrease osteosarcoma prevalence in the Irish Wolfhound breed. Findings can then be applied to other osteosarcoma-predisposed breeds. The genomic research approach will also have substantial impact in method development for other genetic studies of rare diseases in dogs or diseases in rare breeds.

Learn how you can participate in this study!