Last Updated on May 19, 2021 : :

The genetics team from the AHT are settling in at Cambridge and are hoping to get back to normal working very soon.

This will mean recommencing CA testing and also continuing the very important study into “The prevalence if Idiopathic Epilepsy in the Italian Spinone”

?Update from the genetics team at Cambridge?

Our scientists recently tested some more dogs for the genetic variants that we had identified from our genome scan as being potentially associated with IE, but our results suggest that we still do not have quite enough samples to be sure whether or not we can replicate this finding, and we need to be sure of this before we can take the study further. As such we are in great need of samples from dogs affected with IE and those over the age of 7 years with no report of seizure.

The team work very closely with Hannes Lohi’s group on epilepsy in several breeds and so any samples that go to him should be able to be shared with our KC genetics team, and vice versa. All of our AHT samples and the majority of data have travelled with us to Cambridge, so are still available.

 

There are probably also dogs in the database who are now older who we can now use as controls if we can confirm that they are still unaffected, and we will do this over the coming months.
We are also continuing to work with Dr derisio who will be able to help us with recruitment and review of cases to check they meet the definition of IE.

The team at Cambridge will be in touch to start a recruitment drive for additional samples.

Bryan McLaughlin has joined the Kennel Club as part of the launch of the Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the University of Cambridge. Many of you will already know Bryan from when he worked as part of the AHT team and played a central role in collecting and obtaining samples for research. Bryan has joined The Kennel Club Health Team as Genetics Research Co-ordinator and will be helping liaisons between the Breed Health Co-ordinator and the Genetics Team at Cambridge.

The ISCGB are just waiting for all of the details to be finalised and as soon as we are sure of the pathway for collecting and sending swabs we will post another update.

Many thanks for your support and offer of swabs it is greatly appreciated  

Elaine Kirkham
ISCGB Health Co-ordinator
May 2021