FB 55. We have a result for the prospective new ARVC test. It looks to be working. The new group of American dogs affected by ARVC all gave a positive response to the test as also did one British case that I was fortunate enough to find. More importantly for me personally was the uniformly negative response from the UK group deduced by pedigree to be free of the gene. So all in all we have a clear indication that the test serves to detect the disease. But the hope and expectation was that it would serve as a pre-clinical test. In other words would it pick up evidence of the disease before clinical signs appear and hopefully even before Holter can detect increased numbers of VPCs in runs etc to signify developing ARVC? I had included several dogs in the above study that could be deduced by pedigree to be at risk of having the gene. In other words, they had known transmitting dogs quite close up in their pedigrees and therefore might actually carry the gene although outwardly perfectly normal and free of the disease. What did they show? Amazingly, two of them gave what one might call ambiguous results. They showed positive, but only in a weak way. The simplest explanation is that we have the answer we really seek. The test is picking up normal dogs with hidden low expressing ARVC which is exactly what we hoped the test would do. It would look to be more sensitive than Holter.
It has to be proven that this is the correct interpretation but here I am on home territory as I know exactly what to do to establish the genetic facts. However, I don’t think I could convince owners and breeders to pay for more blood tests and no doubt also for Holter information. So looking forward, what can be done? And with ARVC all but extinct in the UK, what can UK breeders offer other than controls.
I conclude that any further investigations really will have to be done in NA. But, even though the Canadian researchers seem to expect me to resolve the genetic issues, I am unhappy about intruding into other country’s affairs and it is quite probable that NA breeders would not want me interfering in their business either. Would they indeed help me by reporting cases and the breeding. Would owners of related dogs submit with them for analyses? And then there is still the funding issue.
So here we are. I believe we have an incredibly valuable test within reach, one that is probably more sensitive than Holter and almost as good as a gene test, but we need the critical supporting evidence to establish this, and it will need the cooperation of numbers of NA breeders who would be willing to submit their show dogs for study. Will any step forward to help the verification of the test? Let me know (bcattanach@steynmere.freeserve.co.uk). Pedigrees and full identification of dogs would be essential, but of course everything would be in the strictest confidence with no identities ever being disclosed. And then on top of this, there is the funding issue. Here we have a hold up, although funding is being applied for. Does anyone have any ideas? Otherwise we are pretty well stuck for the moment. So near and yet so far.
It has to be proven that this is the correct interpretation but here I am on home territory as I know exactly what to do to establish the genetic facts. However, I don’t think I could convince owners and breeders to pay for more blood tests and no doubt also for Holter information. So looking forward, what can be done? And with ARVC all but extinct in the UK, what can UK breeders offer other than controls.
I conclude that any further investigations really will have to be done in NA. But, even though the Canadian researchers seem to expect me to resolve the genetic issues, I am unhappy about intruding into other country’s affairs and it is quite probable that NA breeders would not want me interfering in their business either. Would they indeed help me by reporting cases and the breeding. Would owners of related dogs submit with them for analyses? And then there is still the funding issue.
So here we are. I believe we have an incredibly valuable test within reach, one that is probably more sensitive than Holter and almost as good as a gene test, but we need the critical supporting evidence to establish this, and it will need the cooperation of numbers of NA breeders who would be willing to submit their show dogs for study. Will any step forward to help the verification of the test? Let me know (bcattanach@steynmere.freeserve.co.uk). Pedigrees and full identification of dogs would be essential, but of course everything would be in the strictest confidence with no identities ever being disclosed. And then on top of this, there is the funding issue. Here we have a hold up, although funding is being applied for. Does anyone have any ideas? Otherwise we are pretty well stuck for the moment. So near and yet so far.
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