GENETIC TEST FOR FAMILIAL NEPHROPATHY (FN) ANNOUNCED FOR ENGLISH COCKER SPANIELS

GENETIC TEST FOR FAMILIAL NEPHROPATHY (FN)

ANNOUNCED FOR

ENGLISH COCKER SPANIELS

December 15, 2006
News Release

GENETIC TEST FOR FAMILIAL NEPHROPATHY (FN) ANNOUNCED FOR ENGLISH COCKER SPANIELS

Ithaca, New York, USA

OptiGen, LLC, announces that a DNA-based test is now available for a form of fatal kidney disease identified in the English Cocker Spaniel, termed Familial Nephropathy (FN) or Autosomal Recessive Hereditary Nephropathy (ARHN). The OptiGen test for FN in the English Cocker Spaniel identifies a recessive mutation in the COL4_4 collagen gene. Identification of the FN mutation resulted from extensive collaborative research directed by Dr. Keith Murphy and Dr. George Lees at Texas A&M University.
FN disease is a juvenile-onset fatal kidney (renal) failure recognized in English Cocker Spaniels worldwide for more than 50 years. The renal disease caused by FN invariably is progressive and ultimately fatal; however, the rate of disease progression observed in affected dogs is more rapid in some individuals than in others. Dogs with FN typically develop chronic renal failure between 6 months and 2 years of age, with eventual and sometimes rapid destruction of both kidneys. The early clinical signs are the same as those associated with chronic renal failure due to any other cause. These include excessive water consumption, excessive urine volume, reduced growth rate or weight loss, poor quality hair coat, reduced appetite, and vomiting. Persistent high levels of protein in the urine of a young dog most often proves to be due to FN.

Early in the disease course, a diagnosis can be difficult. Definitive clinical diagnosis can require examination of kidney tissue after death. The FN genetic test solves this problem immediately since presence of the FN gene mutation is accomplished by testing a DNA sample. This result gives the owner immediate diagnostic information and aides in making decisions for the affected dog and for breeding strategies. Because the OptiGen FN test is a mutation-based gene test, it accurately and specifically identifies normal dogs, carriers (heterozygous dogs) and affecteds.

OptiGen wishes to congratulate the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America and the Ferguson-Dunelm Memorial Fund for English Cocker Spaniel Kidney Disease Research for their support of this research at Texas A&M University, and to congratulate the many individuals who contributed in various ways to the work underlying this discovery.

OptiGen, LLC, is a private company established to provide canine genetic tests to breeders and owners of purebred dogs, their veterinarians and veterinary specialists. OptiGen offers DNA-based tests for a variety of canine diseases with a primary focus on diseases of the eye. OptiGen holds an exclusive U.S. and Canada license from Merlogen, LLC for the FN testing, and a non-exclusive license for selected other regions. For more information about these tests and other new developments, go to http://www.optigen.com.

Important Announcement regarding an Open FN Registry

The FN test is now available from Optigen. At the January 5, 2007 ECSCA Board of Directors meeting, it was voted unanimously to disclose all FN test result information to the ECSCA for ECS dogs in the U.S. This decision was announced at the ECSCA general meeting on January 6, 2007 and will be reflected in the Board minutes published in the next newsletter. Optigen has agreed to facilitate this Open FN Registry, with no added fee for the service, by providing ECSCA with reports on a quarterly schedule.

Anyone who placed their order with Optigen before January 29, 2007 will be sent a consent form by Optigen asking if they would like to disclose their test results and comply with the Open FN registry. For those who have already submitted orders and who do not want this information made public to the ECSCA, their information will not be provided to the ECSCA.

Effective January 29, 2007 all FN orders submitted for U.S. dogs will have the full results of the FN test with details on the dog’s name, AKC number, etc., and owner’s identity sent to ECSCA. This information will be made available to the membership. The manner in which this information will be reported is under consideration at this time.

– Kathy Moore, ECSCA President, Jan 11, 2007