DMMC Course MODEL SYSTEMS IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH: SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGHS

1145-1300 Thursday 18 May 2006. UCD Conway Institute Seminar Room 2

Canis familiaris: the pathophysiology of narcolepsy
Technical Spotlight: mapping of common and complex disorders: the canine potential
Dr Kay Nolan (School of Biological and Environmental Science, UCD)

The relationship of Canis familiaris with Homo sapiens is unique among all the model organisms discussed in this course: not only is the dog a valuable working animal but there is an emotional bond between dog and man that comes from the dog’s role as a companion animal. The dog shares its environment with man, and is the most highly medicated animal apart from ourselves. It suffers from many of the same diseases that affect humans. In addition, the numerous canine breeds that currently exist represent the result of an extraordinary evolutionary experiment. For these reasons, the dog has much to offer as a model organism. In recent years this potential has begun to be realised, and the recent generation of two canine genome sequences (poodle and boxer) should facilitate an explosion of research interest in this animal.

Resources

Web Link: Dog Genome Sequencing Project: http://www.broad.mit.edu/mammals/dog/

Review: Neff, M.W. and Rine, J. (2006). A fetching model organism. Cell 124, 229-231. PubMed Entry

Review: Ostrander, E.A. and Wayne, R.K. (2005). The canine genome. Genome Res. 15, 1706-1716. PubMed Entry