Scientists say house cats could help unlock better cancer treatments for humans

Scientists have taken a major step toward understanding cancer in cats, opening what researchers once described as a genetic "black box."

In a large international study published in Science , researchers genetically analyzed cat cancers on a scale that had not been attempted before. The work could improve cancer care for cats while also helping scientists better understand how some cancers develop in humans and other animals.

The researchers also created a freely available resource that other scientists can use to study the genetics of feline cancer.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of illness and death in cats, yet scientists have historically known far less about the genetic changes behind feline tumors than they do about cancers in humans or dogs.

Dr. Geoffrey Wood, a University of Guelph pathobiology professor and co-senior author of the study, said that gap has now begun to close.