Genomics and the Future of Precision Medicine in Canine Diabetes Mellitus

Presentation Description / Summary: Diabetes mellitus is a common canine endocrinopathy with a heterogeneous patho-physiology. A genetic basis to canine diabetes risk is suspected due to the high prevelance of diabetes in some breeds e.g. Samoyed, and the remarkably low prevalence of diabetes in other breeds e.g. Boxer. In human diabetes mellitus, the use of genomic tools to study genetic risk factors has led to breakthroughs in targeted therapy and preventative interventions. This is known as a precision medicine approach, allowing treatment to be tailored to the individual. This lecture will present the work of the Canine Diabetes Genetics Partnership, using whole genome sequencing and other genetic tools to investigate the genetic basis of diabetes mellitus in dogs. The lecture will also consider the current state of the art in our understanding of canine diabetes pathogenesis and explore how genetics might be used to inform a future precision medicine approach to diabetes management in dogs.