AKC Canine Health Foundation Awards Nearly $1.5 million to Innovative Research Projects to Improve the Health of Dogs

The AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to prevent, treat and cure diseases in all dogs, announces that 30 grants have been awarded in 2015 to researchers studying canine disease. These grants, totaling nearly $1.5 million, will continue to build on CHF-funded advances in veterinary medicine and biomedical science, impacting both canine and human health.

“The projects funded this year are a combination of innovative science and technology, and studies to address the immediate and practical medical needs of all dogs,” according to Dr. Diane Brown, CHF’s chief executive officer. “Research ranges from heritable disease, reproductive health, cancer and infectious disease, and includes projects to understand the needs and health of working dog populations, all with an emphasis on better health for dogs and their people.”

CHF administers annual health polls to provide real-time data on the concerns of dog owners and on unmet areas of need in veterinary medicine. Using this information, projects are chosen to build on the depth and breadth of CHF’s 20-year history of health research for dogs. Each grant awarded has specific aims to fill critical knowledge gaps in veterinary medicine, leading to better care options for both the common and the complex health issues of dogs. CHF also invests in training the next generation of scientists to address the health needs of dogs through its Clinician-Scientist Fellowship Program, awarding three Fellowships in 2016.

True to CHF’s mission, several of the newly awarded grants have a One Health emphasis where outcomes of the research project have the potential to benefit human, as well as canine health. One such example is the study of dogs with respiratory and skin diseases that live in the homes of children with asthma. Findings from this study will help unlock the complexities of these health conditions in both species.

CHF is committed to canine cancer research, and one such example is the funding of a $432,000 grant to better understand and prevent hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive and deadly form of cancer in dogs. This grant, awarded to Dr. Jaime Modiano, VMD, PhD, professor at the University of Minnesota, joins the American Boxer Charitable Foundation, the Golden Retriever Foundation, and the Portuguese Water Dog Foundation, thus emphasizing the impact CHF donors have in advancing collaborative research.

Funding for CHF grants comes from a number of sources, including: corporations, dog clubs and individuals who are committed to canine health research. Dog lovers are encouraged to make a donation to support healthy dogs by visiting www.akcchf.org.

The complete portfolio of new grants for 2015 are listed below, and they can also be downloaded in PDF format. Or view and search all active and past grants in CHF's full grant portfolio.

All Dogs Health Research Program Area

02235‐A: Medical Surveillance of Dogs Deployed to the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11/01; Dr. Cynthia M. Otto, DVM PhD; University of Pennsylvania

02231‐A: Bioavailability of Suppository Acetaminophen for Treatment of Pain in Healthy and Critically Ill Dogs; Principal Investigator: Dr. Jonathan F Bach, DVM; University of Wisconsin, Madison

02228‐MOU: Assessing the Genetic Diversity of North American Golden Retrievers; Dr. Joshua A Stern, DVM, PhD; University of California, Davis

02242: Understanding the Genetics of Adverse Drug Reactions in Sighthounds; Dr. Michael H. Court, BVSc, PhD; Washington State University

Blood Disease Research Program Area

02238‐A: Effect of Platelet Count on Platelet Function Tests in Dogs; Dr. Elizabeth Spangler, DVM, PhD; Auburn University

Cardiology Research Program Area

02227‐MOU: Identification of Genetic Markers of Pulmonic Stenosis in Bulldogs; Dr. Joshua A Stern, DVM, PhD; University of California, Davis

Dermatology and Allergic Disease Research Program Area

02176‐A: Intralymphatic Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Canine Atopic Dermatitis; Dr. Andrea Lam, DVM; Tufts University

02182‐A: Is Defective Secretion of Antimicrobial Peptides Associated with Reduced Microbicidal Effects in Atopic Keratinocytes?; Dr. Domenico Santoro, DVM; University of Florida

02241: The City Dog Study: Dermatologic and Respiratory Disease among Inner‐City Dogs Living in the Homes of Children with Asthma; Dr. Meghan F. Davis, DVM, MPH, PhD; Johns Hopkins University

Gastrointestinal Disease Research Program Area

02233‐A: Evaluation of a Novel Technique for Gastric Decompression in Dogs with Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus; Dr. J. Brad Case, DVM, MS; University of Florida

Immunology and Infectious Disease Research Program Area

02180‐A: Exploring the Canine Immune System for New Treatments; Dr. Christine A Petersen, DVM PhD; University of Iowa

02187‐MOU: Investigating Symmetrical Lupoid Onychodystrophy in Bearded Collies; Dr. Anita M. Oberbauer, PhD; University of California, Davis

Lung and Respiratory Disease Research Program Area

02232‐MOU: Characterization of Upper Airway Syndrome in Norwich Terriers; Dr. Bryden J. Stanley, BVMS; Michigan State University

Musculoskeletal Conditions and Disease Research Program Area

02226‐A: Pilot Clinical Trial to Test the Efficacy of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Over‐ Expressing IL‐10 to Treat Osteoarthritis in Elbows of Senior Dogs; Dr. Fernando A Fierro, PhD; University of California, Davis

02229‐A: TPLO Surgery and Recovery: A Comparison of Arthroscopy and Arthrotomy; Dr. Andrea Sundholm‐Tepper, DVM; Washington State University

Neurology Research Program Area

02172‐MOU: Understanding Hereditary Deafness in Dogs; Dr. George M. Strain, PhD; Louisiana State University

02210: Gene Therapy for Canine Degenerative Myelopathy; Dr. Brian K Kaspar, PhD; The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital

Oncology Research Program Area

02171‐MOU: Histiocytic Sarcoma in Bernese Mountain Dogs: Novel Approaches To Treatment; Dr. Vilma Yuzbasiyan‐Gurkan, PhD; Michigan State University

02217: A Novel Mechanism to Regulate the Growth of Canine Hemangiosarcoma; Dr. Erin B. Dickerson, PhD; University of Minnesota

02204: Using Enhanced Imaging to Evaluate Tumor Margins for Canine Mammary Cancer and Soft Tissue Sarcoma; Dr. Laura Selmic, BVetMed; University of Illinois

02215: A Cancer Vaccine for Canine Osteosarcoma; Dr. Rowan J Milner, BVSc; University of Florida

02237‐A: Capturing Tumor Cells in Canine Blood; Dr. Tracy Stokol, Ph.D.; Cornell University

02234‐MOU: A Novel Approach for Prevention of Canine Hemangiosarcoma; Dr. Jaime F Modiano, VMD PhD; University of Minnesota

02244‐A: Beyond Peto's Paradox with the Geriatric Peromyscus; Dr. Corbin D. Jones, PhD; University of North Carolina

Ophthalmology Research Program Area

02105‐A: The Genetics of Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca in West Highland White Terriers; Dr. Christopher J Murphy, DVM, PhD; University of California, Davis

02243‐A: Genomic Profiling of Canine Corneal Endothelial Dystrophy; Dr. Sara M Thomasy, DVM, PhD; University of California, Davis

Reproductive Conditions and Disease Research Program Area

02175‐A: Development of a Brucellosis Vaccine for Dogs; Dr. Angela M Arenas, DVM, PhD; Texas A&M AgriLife Research

02188‐A: Combined Anti‐Müllerian Hormone and Progesterone Testing for the Diagnosis of Canine Ovarian Remnant Syndrome; Dr. Ned J Place, MD, PhD; Cornell University

02192‐A: Advanced Semen Analysis in Labrador Retrievers; Dr. Stuart Meyers, DVM, PhD; University of California, Davis

02193‐A: Identifying the Genetic Basis of Fetal Anasarca in Bulldogs/Canines; Dr. Anna V. Kukekova, PhD; University of Illinois