2 Million Dogs Foundation Donates to Princeton

2 Million Dogs Foundation Presents
$50,000 Donation to Princeton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmLrOc-orXk&feature=plcp&context=C3e6518cUDOEgsToPDskIGKLg6iOoFUfFIXgxfqgqI

The 2 Million Dogs Foundation presented a check for $50,000
to Princeton University on Wednesday, January 11,
to help fund the school’s Molecular Study of Canine Mammary Tumor
Development and Progression: from Genome To Clinical Outcome.
The 2 Million Dogs Foundation is committed to
discovering the common links between canine and human
cancers and the causes of these cancers through comparative
oncology research. The money presented was raised by holding a series of
walks, called “The Puppy Up! Walk.” The events served not only
as a fundraiser, but also brought attention to the field of comparative
oncology, which is relatively new. 2 Million Dogs hopes to educate
people about its tremendous potential through a global campaign
of strategic partnerships, seminars, speaking engagements,
social media, events, broadcasts, and other forms of media.
“Through The Puppy Up! Walk, we are building the largest
pet and people cancer community in the world; from business
people to artists to scientists and humanitarians, a partnership
forged with the singular purpose of ridding the world of its
deadliest disease,” said Luke Robinson the organization’s Founder.
The organization’s scientific objectives are: Broadening
our understanding of the links between human and companion
animal cancer, creating a cross institutional collaborative
platform, developing new approaches to research, and funding
translational cancer studies that benefit both pets and people.
Mammary tumors are the most common
tumors in intact female dogs, and in humans, breast cancer is
the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women - approximately
one in eight women develop breast cancer during their lifetime.
Mammary tumors in dogs and breast cancer in women
have many similarities, both in terms of risk factors and biology.
An important challenge in fighting breast cancer is understanding
the malignant progression of tumors. 2 Million Dogs foundation is
funding a genome-wide study of the molecular alterations
associated with this progression based on
canine mammary tumors at different stages of transformation.
In order to be able to do this research, Dr. Karin Sorenmo of the University
of Pennsylvania has established a Shelter Canine Mammary
Tumor Program. This research is a combination of her clinical
expertise and Dr. Troyanskaya’s group (Princeton University)
expertise in cancer genomics and bioinformatics.
Robinson says “Collaborating with Princeton
University and the University of Pennsylvania
is an intersection of great ideas and great expectations and
we feel the research will provide us with invaluable insight into
the most prolific cancer afflicting women in the United
States.”
This Program thus forms a true bridge between clinical and
translational research, integrating clinical care
with cutting-edge biomedical science while providing homeless dogs with the
high quality treatment they need to survive. By providing this care they are
able to utilize their clinical information and tumor tissue for research
purposes, thus providing care; advancing research. This research is
to our knowledge the first genome-wide molecular study of natural
tumor progression in dogs or humans.
For more information about 2 Million
Dogs visit www.2milliondogs.org or contact Ginger Morgan at ginger@2milliondogs.org