DATE: February 05, 2009
CONTACT:
Keith Murphy, 864-656-3586
kmurph2@clemson.edu
WRITER:
Peter Kent, 864-656-4355
pkent@clemson.edu
Canine geneticist directs Clemson genomics institute
CLEMSON — The chairman of the Clemson University genetics and biochemistry department, Keith Murphy, has taken the additional post of acting director of the Clemson University Genomics Institute (CUGI). Murphy studies canine genetics to improve dogs’ lives and that of humans too.
Murphy sees CUGI as a significant resource in the rapidly evolving field of genomics-oriented research. CUGI is involved in the development and distribution of genomic tools and services for the life science community. It also performs research that focuses on the discovery and analysis of genes: lengths of DNA that provide the building instructions for proteins in microbes, plants, animals and humans.
Murphy joined the Clemson faculty in July 2008 after serving as a professor at Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. His expertise is in the area of veterinary medical genetics with a particular interest in dogs.
Man’s best friend also is a genetic relative. Research reveals that for 75 percent of known human genes there are corresponding dog genes. There are 24,567 human genes of which 18,473 have canine counterparts.
Dogs have been domesticated for more than 10,000 years. Scientists’ and dog breeders’ knowledge of canine medical problems is comprehensive, second only to knowledge about human ailments. Research has found 360 genetic diseases affecting both dogs and humans.
For example, Great Danes suffer from the same type of heart disease affecting humans. In addition, many breeds are prone to genetic disorders, including cancer, blindness, cataracts, epilepsy, hip dysplasia and deafness.
The current aims of Murphy’s laboratory include understanding the genetics underlying hereditary diseases of the heart, kidney, pancreas, skin and musculoskeletal system; the role of cholesterol in canine development and diseases; and the genetics of aging because there are widely differing life spans across breeds.
“Our research also serves as models for study of certain human hereditary diseases as well as aging in humans,” said Murphy, whose lab has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Canine Health Foundation, private foundations, dog-breed clubs and industrial sources.
“One disease that occurs in the human and the dog is a fatal renal disease known as hereditary nephropathy," he said. "People, if they don’t have a renal transplant, die by the time they’re 15 years of age or so. Dogs die by the time they’re 2. We’ve identified the gene that causes this in the English cocker spaniel, and through funding from the NIH we’re developing gene therapy. We hope to correct the disease in the dog, and if that works then we’ll go onto human trials. And if we can do it in humans then they won’t need renal transplants.”
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