2012 Annual Meeting
& President's Report
The annual meeting of SHR, Inc. was held at the MSU Livestock Pavilion, East Landing, MI at 1 PM, Sat. Dec. 1, 2012. Officers and board members attended either in person, by telephone or the internet. Various discussions and actions included:
The corporate records for the year June 2011 thru May 2012 were approved. Nancy Badra resigned from her board position. Kathy Morton agreed to serve on the board. All board members (Vicky Clarke, Linda Scanlon and Kathy Morton) and officers (Jim Steckley, Bill Schall and Linda Scanlon) agreed to continue in their positions and terms of office.
The Treasurer’s report for the corporate year ending May 31, 2012 was approved.
The secretary’s report stated that, unfortunately, Vicky Clarke has not had time to update the SHR web site. The web site has facilitated dissemination of information much more quickly and with less mailing needed.
President’s report:
Update of current projects:
Cancer DNA studies:
We continued to encourage submission of fresh hemangiosarcoma tissue samples to both Dr. Modiano’s lab at the Univ. of Minnesota and the Van Andel Institute. We will continue to ask that fresh biopsy samples be sent to Dr. Modiano.
Communication from the researchers at the Van Andel Institute has been disappointing. GWAS has been done on some of the archived Saluki DNA samples forwarded; however, the number and results have not been shared. I was told once the DNA analyzed, we could look for genetic causes of other conditions (ie heart) as well as coat studies. I was also told that I could bank DNA samples for future research, however, they have refused samples not documented to involve hemangiosarcoma. I will be searching for another place to bank Saluki DNA samples.
We continue to accept tumor samples from Salukis for histological examination by Dr. Steficheck and inclusion in the cancer bank. It is hoped that Dr. Thomas and Dr. Modiano will use these in their DNA studies.
I received correspondence from Dr. Guillermo Cuto, Greyhound researcher and chief Oncologist at Ohio State University, about the possibility of collaborating on Osteosarcoma and Hemangiosarcoma studies. I sent him a log of the Saluki samples banked. He was also interested in Saluki blood types and I sent him the Saluki results from Dr. Hales study.
Heart studies:
I encouraged Dr. Sanders to submit an Acorn Grant application to the CHF requesting funding for a 7 day Holter ECG monitoring of normal Salukis due to the incidence found in the Saluki heart and pathology study. We were disappointed that it was not approved, partially because it involved healthy rather than diseased Salukis. After more correspondence with the CHF, it was fond that if letters from the parent clubs supporting the study were received by the CHF, further consideration to approving the study would be given. Thanks to both the Catherine Comroe, secretary of the SCOA and Sandra Gahan, Secretary/Treasurer of the SCOC, for sending letters of support to the CHF. Thanks also to Dr. Casey Gonda for her recommendation to the SCOA BOARD. After considering this support, the CHF approved the grant. Dr. Sanders hopes to receive financial support and begin the normal study this fall.
AKC/Canine Health Foundation Grants:
Progress reports were received on 6/11 for Grants #1429 and #1131, 7/11 #613 and #1139, 1/12 #947A, #1131, #1429 and #1268. Summaries were published in the Winter 2012 ASA Newsletter (p. 36-39).
Conferences:
I was fortunate to attend the AKC Canine Health Foundation National Parent Club Canine Health Conference held August 12-14, 2011 in St. Louis, Conference proceedings are available on the CHF web site. A summary was published in the Winter 2001 SCOA Newsletter (p. 30-31). Highlights included: hemangiosarcoma treatments in development, unique genetic signatures in two osteosarcoma subtypes which can be used to predict outcome and guide treatment decisions for individual patients and minimal long-term respiratory set-backs for the search and rescue dogs deployed after September 11.
Presentations of special interest to Saluki owners included Dog Genetics and the Mammalian Mind, by Dr. Mark Neff, who conducted the SCOA National seminar in 2010. He stated that the domestic dog is unique in that breeds demonstrate evolutionary relevant phenotypes including inherited body types, predispositions for temperaments, action patterns and performance.
Examples included videos of herding and hunting breeds. He feels that revealing the genes responsible for these traits will also shed light on rules governing the mammalian mind. He stated that 25 do breeds have been sequenced at the Van Andel Institute, including 11 Salukis and 14 racing Greyhounds.
I presented my Healthy Whippet Thyroid Study poster at the Tuft Canine and Feline Breeding and Genetics Conference 9/16 – 9/17, 2011 in Boston, MA.
This was an excellent opportunity to interact with CHF Grant hemangiosarcoma researchers including Kerstin Lindblad-Toh from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Jaime Modiano from the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, and Rachael Thomas, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Also presenting was Lorna Kennedy from the University of Manchester School of Medicine, UK whose interest is autoimmune conditions. SHR supported her CHF immune-mediated hemolytic anemia grant and she did the DLA typing in the Saluki samples. Mark Neff, representing Translational Genomics Research Institute and the Van Andel Institute, also gave a lecture. Dr. Neff showed me the GWAS of the Saluki samples on his computer, but did not say how many were done or the significance of the colored plots. Dr. Kennedy was very interested in the results of the Saluki samples included in her DLA Haplotype immune-mediated study. She expressed interest in getting more samples. I did ask her to write up the results for Saluki fanciers.
Dr. Modiano asked Dr. Lindblad-Toh about what had been done with the Saluki samples that I drew for her and tumor samples that had been sent to the Broad. She agreed to collaborate and forward the samples to Dr. Modiano. But he did feel that the Van Andel group was not willing to collaborate. I also talked to Dr. Thomas, from Dr. Matthew Breen’s lab, who is collaborating with Dr. Modiano, about using the paraffin embedded Saluki cancer tissue blocks that I have banked. She is working on a tissue core DNA analysis and they said if that method proved successful, then they would include selected Saluki cancer samples in their study.
Publications:
Highlights of the 2011 American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation 2011 Canine Health Conference was published in the Winter 2012 SCOA Newsletter (p. 30-31).
Saluki Health Projects Supported by SHR, Inc. was published in the Spring 2011 ASA Newsletter (p. 22-25).
Requesting Support for a Saluki Specific Heart Study was published in the Winter 2012 ASA Newsletter (p. 35).
AKC CHF Progress Reports was published in the Winter 2012 ASA Newsletter (p. 36-39).
An article in Dog News May 2012, The Future is Hopeful for dogs with Hemangiosarcoma by Sharon Pflaumer mentioned the incidence of HSA in Salukis.
Again, the 2011 ASA Celebration Auction was successful. Thanks to the generosity of the contributors of items and bidders, $1306.33 was sent to SHR, Inc.
We need further discussion on how to more widely disseminate information on SHR, Inc. studies, whether a presence at the National Show as well as regional shows would be of benefit. Also,fund raising possibilities at shows or the 50th ASA celebration need to be considered.
New business:
Board members voted to approve funding the following Canine Health Foundation Grants for $2500 each:
#1760: Use of Gene Therapy to Treat Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Dr. Sleepe
#1759: Disrupting the Differentiation of Cancer Stem Cells to Prevent the Spread of Hemangiosarcoma, Dr. Modiano
The CHF Grant for the Saluki Normal Holter Study was begun in Sept. 2012. All the 25 Salukis have been scheduled and we hope to have them all examined by the end.