10 ways researchers are studying diseases in dogs and humans

Here are 10 examples:

1. Researchers in the Comparative Oncology Program, part of the National Cancer Institute, are active in the development of new cancer fighting drugs.

2. Researchers in the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine are investigating gene therapy to fight osteosarcoma in children and dogs.3. The Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University is also studying a variety of human and canine cancers, including osteosarcoma.

4. Several research groups are studying brain tumors in dogs as a means to understand how brain tumors can be better treated in humans.

5. Researchers at North Carolina State University are studying genes in dogs to understand which ones cause canine and human cancers.

6. Similarly, the Canine Comparative Oncology Genomics Consortium has developed a bank of 2,000 patient tissue and tumor specimens for seven cancer histologies.

7. Researchers at the Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine are reporting results of work on environmental risks for cancer, including exposure to herbicide-treated lawns. Such exposure has been linked to higher risk of bladder cancer in dogs.

8. Researchers in the Comparative Neurology Program at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine are studying diseases of the nervous system. They report dogs with canine multiple system degeneration show symptoms similar to Parkinson’s in humans.

9. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen are studying cognitive dysfunction in geriatric dogs, a disease they say shares characteristics with Alzheimer’s.

10. Researchers at North Carolina State University are also studying activity levels of dogs with mild heart disease, informed by mobility issues in humans who have experienced similar issues.