research studies

research studies » current studies

In 2008, Morris Animal Foundation will fund nearly 200 new and continuing studies for dogs, cats, horses, llamas/alpacas, and wildlife as well as more than 40 veterinary student projects.

We also have numerous studies nearing completion. You can search our current study database by species and/or disease to learn more about the studies we are funding in the areas you care most about. The results will also show you whether a study is available for sponsorship.

Category



Disease/Species



Study



D07CA-627: Development of a Genomic Assay to Profile Archival Canine Hemangiosarcomas

principal investigator: Stephanie Montgomery, Veterinary Student Scholar, North Carolina State University

Fully Sponsored: Golden Retriever Foundation

sponsorship not needed

Year: 1 of 1. $3,000

One of the most difficult veterinary diseases to treat is canine hemangiosarcoma, an incurable cancer of the cells that line a dog's blood vessels. An estimate 1.5 to 2.5 million dogs in the United States today will get this disease. Because the tumors grow slowly and painlessly but aggressively spread throughout the body, the cancer progresses to advanced stages before a dog shows any signs of disease. Cancer is caused by mutations to DNA, but the precise mutations responsible for canine hemangiosarcoma are unknown. The student will compare the DNA found in hemangiosarcoma to the complete DNA sequence of a typical, healthy dog. This approach will allow the researchers to identify the precise location of the genetic mutations that lead to canine hemangiosarcoma. Ultimately, this knowledge may lead to new cancer therapies and the ability to identify dogs susceptible to this disease before they get sick.