Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) is poised to bring better health to our feline friends. Dr. Stephen O'Brien, chair of MAF's Coalition for Feline Genomics Research and head of the Laboratory for Genetic Diversity at the National Institutes of Health, says scientists will soon have a powerful tool for identifying genetic predispositions to diseases such as diabetes, cancer, arthritis, kidney disease, infectious diseases and others. This new tool is a gene chip containing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs – pronounced "snips"). The SNPs function as genetic markers to allow association of specific regions or mutations within the cat genome with disease phenotypes.  

Just a few years ago, scientists were hoping to discover two million SNPs that might be used to look for genetic mutations that predispose cats to disease. Today, thanks to a gift to MAF of three million SNPs from Hill's Pet Nutrition and an additional seven million SNPs from other contributors, MAF will soon have a genetic tool to aid in much-needed research and discovery. Breakthroughs could lead to prevention strategies (e.g., breeding regimens to reduce genetically influenced diseases in future offspring) and new therapeutic interventions for cats needing more immediate help (e.g., better drugs and diets).

The coalition will begin testing this new tool in a few months. MAF's Happy Healthy Cat Campaign is raising additional funds to support research activities using the new genetic platform. To find out the latest about our campaign, visit www.Research4Cats.org.