The Collie Health Foundation has some really exciting news. The Foundation will be inaugurating a program for the benefit of our breed that will include the storage of the DNA of a number of collies, along with a Database that will be helpful in providing future assistance in collie specific research. The Foundation will cover the cost of cheek swabs for the first 500 collies to be enrolled in this program. Since DNA-based technology is the future, we decided that it would be in our best interests to take this first step to get the ball rolling. For many breeders DNA is still a complicated off-in-the-future-type project. But the reality of it is "here and now" and in fact AKC has been doing DNA identification-based projects for several years.
Per The NEW OXFORD Dictionary of ENGLISH, DNA is "deoxyribonucleic acid, a self-replicating material which is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information." It's only visible using a special microscope.
With the cheek swabs, we will be sending the following letter-
What is DNA and why is it important? "The bases or letters of the DNA make up the sequence, and the sequence provides the information that is passed from one generation to the next. Within DNA there exists the code for thousands of genes. A gene, composed of DNA, is considered a basic unit of heredity, and generally controls a given bodily function. When something goes wrong with a gene, an illness or at least an increased risk of a disease or condition occurs.
Where is DNA found and how is it obtained? DNA is present in most cells throughout your body. Why is it important to bank the DNA from my animal's specimen? Collecting and banking DNA from biological samples for the purpose of conducting DNA-based studies is an important step. Biological specimens that contain DNA, such as blood cells, need to be collected and sent for immediate processing or long-term banking. With a source of DNA "in the bank" on your animal, important research on the prevalence of various inherited diseases can be determined.
What is DNA banking? DNA banking is a term that is used to refer to the processing and storage of DNA so that it may be used at a later time (months or years later). The sample is processed so that the DNA can be isolated. Processed in this way, there is a reliable source of DNA to allow future testing or related research to be performed.
Who owns the DNA Bank? The DNA Bank will be owned by the Collie Health Foundation, but operated and managed by a DNA Laboratory"
Cheek swabs will be sent, free of charge, to a selected number of collie breeders to start this program. Instructions for use and a form to provide information on each dog will accompany the supply of swabs. Once prepared, the swabs and all pertinent information (pedigree and all relevant clinical data and the info for the database) will be sent directly to a selected DNA Storage Lab, and will be identified only by a code number to assure Complete Confidentiality. Only the code number will be used when DNA samples are provided to collie health researchers for a study. There will be no personal identifiers.
Swabbing of the dogs will be simple and painless. Each dog will have 3 swabs done- 2 to be returned to the lab and one kept by the owner.
We are hoping this opens the doors for a multitude of research possibilities that in the long run will help in eliminating undesirable inherited traits and diseases in our breed. More information will be forthcoming!