- The genome database will energy ongoing scientific efforts worldwide and assist advance individualized pet well being care
- Insights from this partnership will feed into the MARS PETCARE BIOBANK™, a longitudinal research to know pet well being and illness, reworking pet look after future generations of canines and cats
- Mars Petcare Science & Diagnostics President, Nefertiti Greene, hailed the partnership as an “essential milestone” and “integral to drive scientific breakthroughs for the way forward for pet well being”
NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Mars Petcare is partnering with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, a world chief within the genetic and molecular evaluation of ailments, to create one of many largest open entry cat and canine genome databases on this planet.
Genomes from 10,000 canines and 10,000 cats enrolled within the MARS PETCARE BIOBANK™ initiative will probably be sequenced over the following 10 years. Insights from the open entry database might help advance individualized pet well being look after future generations of canines and cats.
The total genome sequence and variant knowledge of the 20,000 pets will probably be made publicly out there through the Nationwide Heart for Biotechnology Info (NCBI) Sequence Learn Archive, enabling scientific investigation throughout a variety of areas, reminiscent of in-depth dog- and cat-breed ancestry, new genetic mutations particular to sure canine and cat breeds and the way they hyperlink to ailments, in addition to pets’ ageing course of.
Mars Petcare anticipates releasing the primary uncooked genome sequences as quickly as they develop into out there all through 2023, with extra, processed knowledge to observe as pets are enrolled within the biobank research. Mars Petcare scientists will probably be analyzing knowledge and publishing preliminary outcomes for the scientific group all through 2023 and past.
Nefertiti Greene, Mars Petcare Science & Diagnostics President, stated:
“The chance to higher perceive cat and canine genetics via particularly designed gene sequencing research is a crucial milestone that may assist us ship on our Function: A Higher World For Pets. Along with our companions on the Broad Institute we hope to search out a number of key methods to supply clinically centered, real-world knowledge. That is important for creating more practical precision medicines and that result in scientific breakthroughs for the way forward for pet well being.”
By connecting the in-depth genome sequencing knowledge to organic samples, well being and life-style knowledge from 20,000 canines and cats within the MARS PETCARE BIOBANK™ research, Mars Petcare goals to search out new methods to forestall or predict a variety of circumstances so that veterinary groups can present tailor-made options to particular person pets and enhance well being outcomes.
Jennifer Welser, DVM, DACVO, Chief Medical Officer, Mars Veterinary Well being, stated:
“Our newest initiative with the Broad Institute is massively thrilling on the subject of advancing preventive pet care. This venture may assist us additional perceive how we are able to construct individualized pet care options for every distinctive canine or cat, which has the potential to develop into a part of routine healthcare apply. As veterinarians, we’re at all times trying to enhance affected person outcomes and for brand new methods to unravel among the most urgent pet healthcare challenges reminiscent of weight problems, pores and skin circumstances, dental illness, infectious and zoonotic ailments, orthopedic problems and, after all, most cancers. I look ahead to seeing how the open entry knowledge can allow new insights supporting individualized pet well being.”
Sequencing and evaluation will probably be spearheaded by Elinor Karlsson, director of the Vertebrate Genomics Group at Broad Institute and professor of bioinformatics and integrative biology at UMass Chan Medical College. The Broad Institute is a world chief in offering genetic data for biobank initiatives, creating the databases and instruments which have made doable systematic research of the genetic foundation of illness.
Prof Elinor Karlsson, Director of the Vertebrate Genomics Group, Broad Institute, stated:
“We’re excited to associate with Mars Petcare to ascertain an open entry useful resource of full-genome sequences for 1000’s of pet cats and canines dwelling in properties throughout america. Making this knowledge absolutely accessible to the worldwide scientific group will present new perception into the traditional origins of canines and cats—who’ve lived by our sides for 1000’s of years—and help analysis initiatives centered on bettering healthcare for pets dwelling right this moment.”
The MARS PETCARE BIOBANK™ and genome sequencing initiatives are a part of Mars Petcare’s long-standing dedication to investing in science, expertise and innovation. The corporate has a well-established historical past in driving transformative pet well being innovation via the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, which has centered on pet well being for over 50 years; and thru Mars Veterinary Well being, a community of two,500 veterinary clinics and Antech diagnostic labs throughout greater than 20 international locations.
About Mars Petcare
Mars Petcare is a part of Mars, Integrated, a family-owned enterprise with greater than a century of historical past making various merchandise and providing companies for individuals and the pets individuals love. Our nearly 100,000 Associates throughout 130 international locations are devoted to at least one objective: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS. With 85 years of expertise, our portfolio of just about 50 manufacturers serves the well being and diet wants of the world’s pets – together with manufacturers PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, ROYAL CANIN®, SHEBA®, CESAR®, GREENIES™, IAMS™ and EUKANUBA™ in addition to the WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute which has superior analysis within the diet and well being of pets for over 50 years. Mars Petcare can also be a number one veterinary well being supplier via a world community of greater than 2,500 pet hospitals and diagnostic companies together with AniCura, AntechAsia Veterinary Diagnosticss BANFIELD, BLUEPEARL, Linnaeus, Mount Nice, VCA, VES, and VSH. We’re additionally lively in innovation and expertise for pets, with WISDOM PANEL™ genetic well being screening and DNA testing for canines, the WHISTLE™ GPS canine tracker, and LEAP VENTURE STUDIO accelerator and COMPANION FUND™ packages that drive innovation and disruption within the pet care trade. As a household enterprise and guided by our ideas, we’re constructing a thriving and inclusive workforce reflective of the numerous pets and communities we serve, privileged with the pliability to battle for what we imagine in. And we select to battle for our Function: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.
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SOURCE Mars Petcare
