NIH awards $1 million in grants to Cornell

ITHACA, N.Y. — Two clinical research programs at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine will receive $1 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over the next four years.

The largest portion of the funding, a four-year $900,000 grant, will go to the college's DNA Bank, while a two-year $100,000 grant will go to study common variable immunodeficiency in horses.

The DNA researchers, led by Dr. Greg Acland, professor of medical genetics, are working to establish a DNA archive of control and diseased purebred dogs, to genotype both and to encourage multi-institutional mapping collaborations and sharing of genotypes with the entire genetics community.

The DNA Bank, established in 2006, has collected nearly 3,000 samples from pedigreed dogs visiting the Cornell University Hospital for Animals for diagnosis and treatments of diseases.