The DNA sequence that makes a dog a dog turns out to be uncannily close to what makes a person a person.

As a result, geneticists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say man's best friend may hold the key to curing many human illnesses - thanks to a 12-year-old boxer named Tasha.

The scientists - from Oxford, Cambridge, MIT and Harvard - unraveled Tasha's genetic makeup and discovered that the canine genome could hold clues for identifying, understanding and treating human ailments. And, it appears to be easier to decode than human DNA.

Originally geared to help dog breeds that are predisposed to certain illnesses (like kidney disease), this study found that a dog's genome consists of 2.4 billion DNA "letters" - approximately the same number as are in humans. These "letters" make up the dog's genetic recipe and are responsible for both its internal makeup and external appearance.

"I hope this kind of discovery does truly lead to new advances in the treatment of human disease," said Thomas B. Tucker, M.D., chair of the General Oncology Channel for Revolution Health Group's Medical Advisory Board.

In another study, scientists at the University of Utah found that humans and dogs have more than 300 diseases in common.

Although the genomes of other mammals like mice have previously been mapped, scientists found that humans share a much greater amount of ancestral DNA with dogs, confirming that dog genes are vital in understanding human disease.

"I am a little worried that people may be overly optimistic about how much or how quickly it will help with human disease," Tucker cautioned. "I suspect that there is a lot more to the development of cancer in humans than people sometimes think.

"You can learn the alphabet of a foreign language, but learning how the letters then form words, sentences and stories is another matter," he said.

Related links

Dogs: More than man's best friend

Healthy dogs, healthy people

This Article is from MyDNA.com

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