02517: Genetics of Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma in the Siberian Husky
Grant Status: Open
Abstract
Glaucoma is a very painful and rapidly blinding disease that leads to irreversible sight loss in many thousands of dogs in the USA and worldwide each year. Current medical and surgical treatments that target the damaging high pressure in the eyes of affected dogs are not able to cure the disease but only control it. In many dogs with glaucoma, surgical removal of both eyes is needed to control pain. Past research reveals that the Siberian Husky is one of the more commonly affected breeds in both North America and Europe. With improvements in canine DNA sequencing tools, it is now possible to carry out very detailed sequencing of DNA of individual dogs, and these techniques have identified mutated genes responsible for several dog diseases. The investigators in this study will analyze DNA from Siberian Huskies with glaucoma and compare it to DNA from dogs without glaucoma. The goal is to identify the DNA mutation (or mutations) that cause glaucoma and, in turn, develop a genetic test for the disease in this breed and possibly other affected breeds such as the Samoyed and Shiba Inu. A DNA test would provide an important tool in efforts to fight this disease as dog breeders could develop more informed breeding strategies, with a goal to ultimately help eliminate this disease from the dog population.
Publication(s)
None at this time.
Help Future Generations of Dogs
Participate in canine health research by providing samples or by enrolling in a clinical trial. Samples are needed from healthy dogs and dogs affected by specific diseases.
