Walter Flato Goodman Center for Comparative Genetics
Medical genetics is the broad field of science dealing with the role of genes in disease. This involves identifying and characterizing genes that cause disease, as well as applying genetic knowledge to diagnosis, treatment and prevention of genetic diseases. Genetic diseases include disorders in which a single gene mutation is necessary and sufficient to cause the disease, as well as complex disorders involving interactions of multiple genes and other factors.
Essentially all genetic diseases in humans can occur in other mammals due to the basic homology between the human genome and those of other mammals. However, recognizing genetic disorders in animals depends on the degree of medical surveillance used and the amount of family information available. Domestic animals, particularly dogs and cats, are a rich source of potential models because they are examined by veterinarians for individual diseases at a level comparable to human medicine.
The Walter Flato Goodman Center for Comparative Medical Genetics fosters interdisciplinary research and research training in this field through development of shared resources. Investigators focus research primarily on naturally occurring genetic diseases of animals that are true homologs of human genetic diseases.
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