Cancer Charity is Going to the Dogs

Purebred dogs have some of the same cancer-causing genes as humans do. But because their gene pool is thousands of times smaller than humans, hope is raised that we will find the disease-causing genes much more quickly and more economically through combined research efforts. Human Canine Synergy Foundation is a charity dedicated to funding this important research and to saving lives. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) February 15, 2011 - Cherry Hill, NJ - Human Canine Synergy Foundation raises money for genetic research in purebred dogs; findings contribute to human breast cancer research.

On Christmas Eve 2008, a beautiful English Springer Spaniel named Ginger collapsed at her home in New Jersey and could not get up. Her owners rushed her to their veterinarian only to learn that the champion purebred had breast cancer, which had spread to her other organs. Even worse, neither surgery nor chemotherapy would significantly prolong her life. The devastating experience would later uncover groundbreaking research into the diseases shared by both humans and dogs (comparative oncology) and lead Ginger's English Springer Spaniel Puppies owners, Linda and Robert Chapman, to the formation of a charity to fight breast cancer, Human Canine Synergy Foundation, www.HCSF.net.

Linda Chapman began corresponding with researchers in the USA and in Europe, where one third of English Springer Spaniels die from breast cancer. The effort to learn more about the formation of mammary tumors and to raise awareness among dog lovers uncovered staggering figures. The American Cancer Society reports that annually over 190,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. When the Chapmans learned that Genome researchers at MIT's Broad Institute, www. Broadinstitute.org, linked cancer genes in purebred dogs to the same cancer causing genes in humans; they knew they had to become involved with this urgent research.

In 2005, scientists began collecting canine blood and tissue samples to use in these studies. As Dr. Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, a renowned genome researcher and HCSF board member explains, "There are at least six more cancer genes to uncover; it just takes time."

Since English Springer Spaniels are one breed most at risk for breast cancer, Human Canine Synergy contacted Eastern English Springer Spaniel Association and secured permission to attend the Springer specialty show in Rhode Island in June 2010, to collect DNA samples. Veterinarians from the Broad Institute at MIT collected one teaspoon of blood from every donor dog for research purposes.

This critical cancer research cannot proceed without the cooperation of the purebred dog community and dog lovers everywhere. The significance of the research and its importance to both human and canine communities cannot be ignored. "We are all in this fight together, and this is a fight we intend to win," says Linda Chapman, the president of Human Canine Synergy.

About Human Canine Synergy Foundation

HCSF is dedicated to funding the research of diseases common to humans and dogs and to educating the public, medical, and veterinarian communities on the findings and preventive health actions suggested by the research results.

Purebred dogs have a much less complex and smaller gene pool than humans do, inspiring hope that we will find the disease-causing genes and the cure for cancers much more quickly and more cheaply through combined research efforts.

HCSF is registered as a New Jersey charity and is kicking off its first fundraiser in April, Rovers for Research. Working with a consortium of labs in the USA, the Chapmans learned that research funds are dwindling rapidly. HCSF and its volunteers are dedicated to turning things around and ultimately to saving lives.

Contact:
support ( @ ) HCSF dot net
100 Springdale Road, A3
Suite 186
Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08003
Phone: 856-767-9777
Websites:
www.HCSF.net
www.cheerforpink.com

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