This announcement comes from the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan:

The Van Andel Research Institute, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is pleased to share that we have received a “Grand Opportunities” (GO) grant from the National Institutes of Health. This is enabling the Institute to expand its canine cancer studies, which started with a project investigating hemangiosarcoma in Clumber spaniels 18 months ago, into a much broader research program.

We are launching a new center of excellence in canine genetics and genomics. The first and most important program is the Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium (CHCC), which is headed by Drs. Jeff Trent (TGen), Nick Duesbery (Van Andel Research Institute), and Paul Meltzer (National Cancer Institute/NIH). The program is an unprecedented alliance of scientists, veterinarians and physicians.

Drs. Duesbery and Froman are intensely focused on recruiting canine cancer patients for the study through a variety of clinical outreach programs. Samples from canine patients will not only allow the researchers to identify genes responsible for breed-specific susceptibilities (such as hemangiosarcoma in Clumber spaniels and osteosarcoma in Greyhounds), but also to translate these discoveries into new and more precise diagnostics and therapeutics for both canine and human cancer patients. The ultimate goal is to take personalized medicine for dogs to unscaled heights!

The CHCC has been developed to investigate five initial cancers in dogs, which also affect people. The first five cancers we’ll be researching are:

Hemangiosarcoma

Osteosarcoma

Lymphoma

Malignant histiocytosis

Melanoma (oral and digital)

In order to move forward, we need your help. The Institute will be studying only naturally occurring tumors, so we need the assistance of owners with dogs who develop any of the above types of cancer. We are requesting fresh (NOT in formalin) tumor samples when the dog has surgery, a biopsy, or is euthanized. We also need 3 mls of blood in an EDTA (purple top) tube. If a tumor sample is not immediately available (a dog who has had surgery, for example), a blood sample is still useful.

If your dog is scheduled for surgery, please contact VARI ahead of time so we can FedEx a tumor collection kit to your veterinarian. You can contact the CHCC at 616.234.5569. You may also email Dr. Froman at roe.froman@vai.org.

Consent forms and more information for veterinarians can be accessed and downloaded from our website, www.vai.org/helpingdogs. In addition, we are collecting DNA samples from a wide variety of healthy, purebred dogs, for use as controls. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Dingos, one of the oldest breeds

Contrary to an earlier study that suggested dogs were first domesticated in East Asia, scientists now believe that dogs were first domesticated from wolves somewhere in the Middle East.

The New York Times has all the details and a nifty graphic.

Jack Russell Terrier magnet from Dogstuff

The open-access journal BMC Biology has its preliminary report available. They conclude that the small-dog mutation arose after the domestication of dogs, but not long after. Genetic similarities between all small dog breeds and Middle Eastern gray wolves suggest that smaller breeds originated there, apparently from domesticating the smaller wolves.

Dishtowel from Dogstuff

The Washington Post reports.

Card from Dogstuff

I don’t know how US breeders feel about it, but in the UK, inbreeding is considered enough of a problem that microchipping litters is being proposed as a partial solution.

A dog snoozes during a ride

The Financial Times has a fascinating article on Moscow’s stray dogs, and the city’s complex relationship with them. One group of dogs has even learned to ride the city’s metro system.

Dish towel from Dogstuff

Dogs and humans have lived together for so long that researches hope canine DNA may give them clues to human ailments.

For example, a team recently discovered a gene related to obsessive disorders in Doberman pinschers; dogs display obsessive behaviors in a manner similar to humans. Other researchers are now studying the same gene in humans.

In addition to psychiatric disorders, scientists hope that dog’s genes may help them with epilepsy, cancer, and phobias, all of which dogs develop in ways similar to humans. The Boston Globe has more.

Emmy has an insight

Physics professor Chad Orzel has a new book: How to Teach Physics to Your Dog. In conversations with his rescue dog, Emmy, he presents the basics of quantum physics and debunks some common misconceptions.

Sounds like fun — it’s on my list.