New project aims to shed light on cat and human disease by mapping out the feline genome
We know so much less about cats than their canine counterparts when it comes to their behavior, habits — and in some respects, their health. There's been a lot of interest garnered in knowing more. Perhaps because of the strides that have been made in the area of genetic sequencing of dogs and other mammals, the goal of one project getting underway at UC Davis, in Davis, Calif., called the 99 Lives Cat Whole Genome Sequencing Initiative, is to put together a genetic portrait of felines. Leslie Lyons , a former professor at UC Davis (now with the University of Missouri), knows that as technology grows to help foster a better understanding of disease and how to treat it in cats, getting to the root of things by way of mapping out the feline genome could be helpful. Nine cats were originally slated for the study, however Lyon and her colleagues decided that number was too small to build a comprehensive genetic portrait. So instead, they went with ninety-nine. Mapping out the over 20,...