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We
are pleased to announce that our Blood Bank is now up and running. Our
Celebration Weekend at Beccles, Suffolk in September 2004 saw the launch of this
project and we are very grateful to the owners who contributed and made this a
success.
We now require
submissions from as many Lapphunds as possible to expand our blood bank, to
ensure the best possible DNA base for future research into hereditary diseases.
The more we have the better.
The PRA research is continuing at Cambridge University
and the blood bank already established there will be linked up with the AHT so
there is no need for dogs to contribute if they have already done so for
Cambridge.
For details
of how to submit your bloods, please read the letter below written by
Dr
Cathryn Mellersh of the AHT.
E-mail:
- health@finnishlapphund-club.co.uk
Animal Health Trust
Several
breeds are now giving serious thought to setting up blood banks, and the Animal
Health Trust has become the 'official' UK storage point for Flat Coated
Retrievers during the last year.
The
arrangement we are able to make with breeders/owners/clubs at the moment is we
(the Animal Health Trust) will store blood samples free of charge, but the cost
of the blood being drawn and mailed to us must be met by the breeder/owner. The
amount of blood needed is: Puppies 2ml - Adults 5ml
A
form must accompany each sample that details the dogs Kennel Club name and
number (if applicable) and the owners name and address. The form requests that
the owner consents to the sample being used, anonymously and confidentially in
future research projects. We also ask that each sample be accompanied by a
5-generation pedigree and copies of any relevant health certificates (eye,
hearing, hip scoring certificates etc).
This
system really does work; in fact we use the same type of genetic markers that
are used specifically to sort out parentage disputes. For other breeds we are
working with we have already discovered several examples of false parentages -
occasionally genuine deceptions but more often samples being mislabeled or
pedigrees being incorrectly copied.
The
advantages of setting up a blood bank are enormous when it comes to finding
mutations that cause inherited diseases and developing diagnostic tests. When we
start to work on a disease we collect samples from affected dogs and their close
relatives, ideally siblings (affected and unaffected), parents and grand
parents. We are presented with problems however when a relatively late onset
disease surfaces, because grand parents, and maybe even parents, may no longer
be alive, and this seriously impacts the work we can do. So if samples are
routinely banked we would be able to access those samples in the future, even if
the dogs are no longer alive.
If
litters could be banked, the advantages are especially significant, because
chasing samples from unaffected littermates of affected dogs is notoriously
difficult, for a variety of reasons. For example, we get many samples from
individual dogs whose owners want to contribute to our research, but who have no
way of knowing where their dogs siblings are, and who may not want to, or be
able to contact the breeder for that information. Or even if the breeder is
contacted, and they in turn are prepared to contact the owners of the siblings,
the owners of the siblings may not want to send a blood sample from their dog,
or if their dog is healthy, might be unconvinced as to the need, especially if
they have to pay for the blood to be drawn.
I
cannot stress enough the importance of being able to sample as many close
relatives of affected dogs as possible. As the DNA technology improves, which it
does all the time, the limiting factor in all our studies is fast becoming
sample collection. For simple diseases that are caused by one gene, we need
samples from about 20 affected dogs, and about 100 of their relatives in total.
But as we start to be able to study more complex diseases we will need to sample
more dogs, and we know from experience that it can be very difficult. Having a
blood bank that is used by a good proportion of the breeders would address many
of the challenges we face when it comes to collecting samples. As an example, we
have been working with a particular breed that suffers from a simple recessive
disease, and the club has been collecting samples for about 2 years now, very
actively, and are only now approaching sufficient samples to think about
beginning the research to find the gene and develop a diagnostic test. And this
breed has a very active health committee and the owners/breeders have embraced
the idea of the research very well.
As
far as managing records, we would keep our own records regarding the identities
of dogs we received samples for, and owners details, as some breeds we have set
up banks for, however, have been sensitive to sending owners details to
'unofficial individuals', for confidentiality reasons, and have preferred to
send details to us (AHT) only. Some owners don't want other people to know
they've submitted a sample, although that usually applies more if samples are
being collected for a specific test.
My
contact details can be distributed as an information source.
Cathryn
Mellersh, PhD
Centre for Preventive Medicine
Animal Health
Trust
Lanwades Park
Kentford
Newmarket
Suffolk -
UK
Tel : 01638 750659
Fax : 01638
750794
Email : cathryn[dot]mellersh[@]aht[dot]org[dot]uk
AHT
Blood Sample Form
(Click here to download and print)