Dogs will help to understand the issues of aging
From the time of the ancient alchemists to modern advances in biology, attempts to study and slow down human aging have brought very few real results. Cornell University scientists plan to contribute to filling the gap between laboratory research and the complex mechanisms of aging in real life with the help of dogs.
Funding provided by the US National Institute of Aging allowed them to join an interdisciplinary consortium of US research institutions, called the Canine Longevity Consortium. The purpose of the consortium is to create a base for the subsequent longitudinal study of dog aging (Canine Longitudinal Aging Study). During this study, dogs will be used as a powerful new model system to study the influence of genetic and external factors on aging and potential impacts that can mitigate the manifestations of age-related diseases.
Until now, experts have studied aging processes mainly on short-lived linear laboratory organisms obtained as a result of related crossing, such as yeast, nematodes, fruit flies and mice. However, these model organisms are separated from humans, as well as other genetically diverse populations living in complex ecosystems, by a huge chasm. To overcome this gap, a model system is needed, the components of which, unlike laboratory clones, are genetically variable, live in conditions similar to human living conditions, and also have a life span that allows us to study in detail the aging features of each individual.
Researchers from Cornell University, working under the guidance of evolutionary geneticist Dr. Adam Boyko, plan to find out how genes and the environment shape the trajectory of aging dogs. They also want to find out the age and causes of death of dogs and find methods to combat age-related diseases.
At the first stage, several pilot projects will be carried out, the purpose of which will be to determine the breeds of dogs that are optimal for conducting the study, as well as the most appropriate methods for collecting, analyzing and exchanging data. There will also be an epidemiological analysis of genetic and external factors affecting the life expectancy of dogs and an annual epidemiological analysis of the age and causes of death of dogs observed in three private veterinary clinics.
According to Dr. Boyko, dogs have huge potential as a model system for studying human aging. Genetically, they are in many ways similar to humans, which makes it possible to combine traditional demographic and epidemiological approaches with new technologies, such as comparative genomics. Unlike other model organisms, dogs live in the same environment with humans, moreover, the quality of their medical care approaches that of humans. The use of this new animal model should make a huge contribution to the study of aging.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine:
Aging research goes to the dogs.
17.04.2014