Morris Animal Foundation receives funding from Cathie Turner Sunbeam Fund for Hemangiosarcoma Research

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Morris Animal Foundation announced it is the recipient of funding from the Cathie Turner Sunbeam for Hemangiosarcoma Research. Established by family and friends in memory of Cathie Turner, this funding honors her passion for raising, showing, and breeding Golden Retrievers.

According to an organizational release,¹ Turner, who passed away earlier this year, was an advocate for Golden retrievers since 1987 and had a particular interest in canines suffering from hemangiosarcoma after she lost her first Golden retriever, Winston, to this disease.

“Like Cathie, we want to improve the health of golden retrievers and all dogs, and hemangiosarcoma is a major threat to that health,” said Kathy Tietje, vice president of scientific operations at Morris Animal Foundation, in the release.¹ “We are incredibly grateful to the friends and family of Cathie who want to realize her dream of a breed free from hemangiosarcoma through funding targeted research at Morris Animal Foundation.”

This funding will help support the discovery of better treatments and diagnostics for hemangiosarcoma through the Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study. Some of the funding will also be given to the Foundation’s Hemangiosarcoma Initiative, an upcoming multi-year funding initiative to open up new research discovery pathways.

“The goal of Cathie’s Fund is to provide much-needed support for hemangiosarcoma research and find solutions for this disease in golden retrievers and other dogs,” said Bill Kamer, one of the architects of Cathie’s Fund.¹ “Imagine if we could find biomarkers or other indicators of early disease. This would be a game changer for affected dogs, and for dog owners and veterinarians who are equally frustrated and devastated by this disease.”

Reference

Foundation beneficiary of funding aimed at eliminating deadly cancer of dogs. News release. Morris Animal Foundation. October 24, 2022. Accessed October 25, 2022. https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/hemangiosarcoma-dogs-Cathie-Turner-Sunbeam-Fund