A CRITICAL BREAKTHROUGH! Genetic Linkage Determined for Fanconi Syndrome
The BCOA Health and Research Committee and The Basenji Health Endowment are pleased to announce a significant breakthrough in the Fanconi Syndrome research being conducted on our behalf by Dr. Gary Johnson and colleagues at the University of Missouri – a breakthrough that allows researchers to proceed to the next phase of their work - determining a precise genetic marker(s) for Fanconi Syndrome and developing a test for this disease. Through the process of linkage analysis (identifying genes that are passed on together on a specific chromosome), Dr. Johnson and his colleagues have identified the chromosome containing the gene(s) involved in Fanconi Syndrome in Basenjis. This work was accomplished by analyzing a set of 48 (of the over 500 provided) carefully selected samples sent to Dr. Johnson's lab by BCOA members and Basenji owners in the U.S., Canada, and worldwide.
We do not have a test yet. Determining which chromosome contains the gene(s) involved in Fanconi Syndrome does not, in and of itself, provide us with a test, but it constitutes a major advancement on the road to reliable, accurate testing. It is the first concrete and critical step - a step we'd all hoped to see - toward a generally available test for Fanconi Syndrome within our breed. The Basenji Health Endowment will fund the remaining research as we push toward a test, possibly with some assistance from the Canine Health Foundation. The time frame for this analysis could be as rapidly as one month from the day you read this note, or perhaps as long as a year. The estimated cost to us of this work will be approximately $20,000.00.
As the exciting second phase of this project begins, we would like to thank everyone who has contributed samples to Dr. Johnson's study, and/or donated funds to the Endowment. You made this breakthrough possible. Thank you also for your patience. Genetic research is a painstaking process. The Basenji Health Endowment's goals - and the realization of those goals - may at times seem light years in the future. But as this breakthrough proves, we can accomplish these goals when we harness our resources and work together for the betterment of the breed.
Jon Curby's original email to the BCOA Health and Research Committee regarding the Fanconi linkage breakthrough follows - we wanted all of you to have a chance to share in this exciting breakthrough first hand.
**To donate to the Basenji Health Endowment, please visit www.networkforgood.org, and type the words "Basenji Health Endowment" in the key words textbox.**