Message from the Irish Wolfhound Foundation Health Research Committee
Monday, April 28, 2008
We would like to address several concerns and clarify a number of issues which have arisen as a result of the recent NIH questionnaire some of you have received. These questionnaires were sent to owners whose hounds have had blood collected by the IWF and stored in the Laboratory of Dr. Elaine Ostrander, Chief & Senior Investigator, Cancer Genetics Branch Head, Comparative Genetics Section, National Institutes of Health. We would like to assure you that the safety and confidentiality of your dog's blood and health information has not been compromised in any way.
In addition to funding research to define and treat diseases common to the Irish Wolfhound, The IWF is committed to supporting the critical work needed to find the genetic "keys" to these diseases. We are actively cooperating in projects to pinpoint the gene or genes linked to atrial fibrillation, osteosarcoma, and PCD, and we will continue to assist researchers to further such research. The following paragraphs outline our efforts to date. We hope this clears up any confusion that the appearance of the NIH questionnaire may have created:
1. In 2004, the IWF Research Committee began collecting blood samples from Irish Wolfhounds for future genetic health research. These blood samples now form the large sample pool which can be accessed only by IWF-approved researchers. No research will be conducted using these blood samples or the information supplied by the owners without the express written permission of the IWF Health Committee.
2. The letter accompanying the NIH questionnaire refers to a study which has since been deleted from the NIH research schedule. The IWF Research committee anticipates receiving a proposal from researchers at one of the nation's top veterinary schools who have expressed interest in building upon the previous OHSU research to find the gene(s) for atrial fibrillation in Irish Wolfhounds. Watch this space for updates as this process continues.
3. In 2003, Dr. Petra Jakobs, then a Research Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at OHSU, received a grant from NIH with which she launched a project to find the gene for atrial fibrillation in Irish Wolfhounds using a gene mapping technique called "linkage analysis." Dr. Michael Litt at OHSU had begun working on this project and, although retired, he remained involved in this research. Dr. Jakobs has since left OHSU and is no longer working on this project. However, Dr. Litt hoped that a technique called "association mapping" might prove successful, and so asked Dr. Ostrander to store the OHSU blood and data at the NIH lab. It will remain there while new research proposals are considered.
The blood collected for the OHSU study is separate from the blood collected by the IWF. In the future, however, we anticipate making available blood from dogs enrolled in the Lifetime Cardiac Study to assist with the continuation of the atrial fibrillation genetic research .
4. The IWF has made a special effort to collect blood from dogs enrolled in its Lifetime Cardiac Study because we believe the extensive phenotypic data, which includes the yearly EKG strips and yearly questionnaire information supplied by owners, makes this blood especially valuable. We continue to seek blood from wolfhounds diagnosed with osteosarcoma and hounds over the age of 8 who are cancer-free to assist with bone cancer research. Please contact Karen Malone at iwpaw@verizon.net if you can help.
We are fortunate to have such outstanding researchers as Dr. Ostrander and Dr. Sutter assisting and facilitating the establishment of our IWF blood bank, and we are very grateful to them for their continued support.
In the next week, the regular yearly Lifetime Cardiac Study questionnaire will be mailed to you. Please fill it out immediately and return it regardless of whether or not you have responded to the NIH questionnaire, so that we can continue on with this important work.
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact Kathy Wilson at kathywilson25@gmail.com or (252) 257-2525.
Thank you.
Two Noted Researchers Join IWF Research Committee
The Research Committee of the Irish Wolfhound Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of two distinguished scientists to its roster. Both Dr. Margret Casal and Dr. Nathan Sutter are highly-respected researchers committed to helping Irish Wolfhounds and their owners.
MARGRET CASAL, Dr. VET. MED., PH.D.,
Diplomate EUCAR
Dr. Margret Casal, Assistant Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, performed the seminal research characterizing idiopathic epilepsy as an inherited disease in the Irish Wolfhound. In addition, she continues working on characterizing PCD, pneumonia, and recurrent pneumonia in wolfhounds.
NATHAN B. SUTTER, PH.D.
Dr. Nathaniel B. Sutter, Assistant Professor of Medical Genetics at the Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine, heads the Sutter Dog Genetics Laboratory there. In 2007, Dr. Sutter’s work identifying a DNA regulatory sequence which reduces the activity of a growth gene in dogs, completed while he was a research fellow at the Ostrander Laboratory at the National Institute of Health, received national attention because of its implications to human genetics. Since 2004, Dr. Sutter has been assisting the IWF Research Committee with establishing a DNA Blood Bank for use in genetic research of benefit to IWs.
Please Help Us Find the Genes That Cause
Irish Wolfhound Bone Cancer
The Irish Wolfhound Foundation is working with leading geneticists to help identify the gene(s) involved with bone cancer. We know that cancer, whether hereditary or not, is a disease of genes. But we don’t know which set of genes malfunction when an Irish Wolfhound gets osteosarcoma.
If you have a wolfhound diagnosed with bone cancer, we need a blood sample from your dog. We also need more blood samples from wolfhounds eight years of age or older who have never had any type of cancer.
This blood will go into our own Irish Wolfhound DNA blood bank, which the IWF established in 2004 in order to support research specifically designed to help our breed. Blood is stored at the Ostrander Canine Genomics laboratory at the National Institutes of Health and at the Sutter Dog Genetics Lab at the Cornell University Veterinary School. This is NOT the same as CHIC, so if your dog’s blood is in CHIC and you would like to help, you will need to give another blood sample.
We will supply you with blood collection tubes, mailing canisters, and simple instructions for your vet. All you need to do is complete the included release form, attach the mailing label, and send it back with your dog’s blood sample. Contact Karen Malone at iwpaw@verizon.net if you would like to participate, or, if you have further questions, call Kathy Wilson at (252) 257-2525.
Thank you for supporting the critical research that is our best hope for fighting osteosarcoma in our beloved hounds.
New IWF-Sponsored Study To Evalualte IW VPC Arrhythmia
The Irish Wolfhound Foundation is funding a new research study by veterinary cardiologist Dr. William D. Tyrrell, Jr., and resident cardiologist Dr. Gina Pasieka as chief investigators. The goal of their research is to characterize ventricular premature contractions (VPCs) in wolfhounds who have no underlying heart disease.
Ventricular premature contractions (VPCs) are heart rhythm disturbances that interrupt the normal heart rhythm and cause an irregular beat. While one or two isolated VPCs can be harmless, when they occur very often or repetitively, they can lead to a very serious condition called ventricular tachycardia. For this reason, all dogs with VPCs should be closely monitored.
In Boxers and Dobermans, VPCs can signal a condition which frequently leads to sudden death. In wolfhounds, VPCs appear to be more benign. However, VPCs have been found in wolfhounds with impaired cardiac function as well as those with no heart disease.
Twenty wolfhounds will be evaluated. Drs. Tyrrell and Pasieka will collect data from echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, bloodwork, thyroid tests, and tick panels. They will then have each dog wear a holter monitor to record a 24-hour continuous EKG.
This study will give us a much better idea of whether or not VPCs are truly benign in wolfhounds, or whether they can indicate more serious problems.
If your IW‘s EKG has had VPCs please consider entering your IW in this study. Contact Kathy Wilson at (252) 257-2525 or kathywilson25@gmail.com.
The Purpose of the Foundation...
The purpose of the Foundation is to promote the appreciation, knowledge, and understanding of Irish Wolfhounds by raising and allocating funds for research, education, and rescue.
Welcome to the IWF Website
Welcome to the newly-redesigned IWF website. We have additional new features to roll out in the coming weeks.