The AKC Canine Health Foundation is committing more than $1.5 million to 2012 research grants.

The CHF approved 21 OAK grants to 14 research institutions and universities for projects covering cataracts, carcinoma, dermatitis, epilepsy, liver disease, lymphoma, melanoma, and osteosarcoma.

This year's grants cover research of diseases affecting all dogs and specific breeds, such as Australian Shepherds, Bassett Hounds, Greyhounds, Havanese, Irish Wolfhounds, Scottish Terriers, Shetland Sheepdogs and West Highland White Terriers.

"The selection of these grants represents great potential in advancing the health of all dogs and their owners," CHF Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel Terry Warren says. "The Foundation is dedicated to funding sound scientific research and disseminating health information that can prevent, treat and cure canine disease."

This year CHF received 109 OAK grant proposals. Part of CHF's two-level grant structure, the annually awarded OAK grants are one- to two-year, in-depth research projects that examine causes, provide accurate diagnosis and prognosis and develop effective treatments for canine disease.

CHF also funds short-term research throughout the year called ACORN grants, which frequently produce preliminary data for possible future OAK proposals.

The canine and human genomes are highly similar. Thus, most canine diseases also occur in humans. "Research funded by the Foundation often provides information for discoveries in human illnesses," Warren said. "There are a number of research projects this year that have the potential to be translational from dogs to humans. As a result, we are not only helping our beloved companions, but we are helping ourselves."

For descriptions of all 21 grants, visit akcchf.org.

HOD and LCP Podcast Released
The latest installment in the Genome Barks podcast series is an in-depth interview with Dr. Alison Starr, a scientific investigator at the Clemson Canine Genetics Research Group, which studies hereditary diseases in the domestic dog.

Starr has received CHF funding, and her current research is focused on the development of genetic tests to help predict and screen for the bone disease hypertrophic osteodystrophy, which usually affects young, rapidly growing, large-breed dogs, and the joint disease Legg-Calve-Perthes, the bane of many small dogs.

In the new podcast, Starr discusses her search for the gene or genes responsible for these diseases and the genetic tests for them that could be developed.

You can listen to this podcast, and a complete archive of podcasts on a wide range of canine-health topics, at genomebarks.com.