By Seth Truscott, College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Distinguished geneticist Elaine Ostrander will share how insights into the genome of dogs can help fight cancer and unravel complexities in human disease, in a seminar, 2:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, in Spark 227, on the Washington State University Pullman campus.
Ostrander’s talk, “How to Build a Dog in 2,392,715,236 Easy Steps,” is hosted by WSU’s Department of Animal Sciences.
Referring to the size of the dog genome, the seminar shares discoveries by Ostrander, the chief and distinguished investigator for Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch of the National Institutes of Health, and author of “Dog and Its Genome” and “The Genetics of the Dog.”
At the National Institutes of Health, Ostrander studies both human and canine genetics, using state-of-the-art methods to identify genes showing susceptibility to prostate cancer. Best known for studies on how the dog genome can solve fundamental biological problems, her work has revealed how changes in small numbers of genes produce the enormous differences in body shape and size found in dog breeds.
The seminar is designed to inform students, faculty and staff in animal and veterinary science, biology and genomics. Following the talk, participants are welcomed to meet with Ostrander.
To learn more, contact WSU Animal Sciences professor Holly Neibergs, 509‑335‑6491, neibergs@wsu.edu.
