Scientists say house cats could help unlock better cancer treatments for humans
Researchers have conducted a large-scale genetic analysis of feline cancers to identify key driver genes. This study provides a new resource for veterinary medicine and suggests that cats could serve as a model for understanding human cancer development.
Why it matters
Identifying shared genetic mutations between species can accelerate the development of targeted cancer therapies for both pets and 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.
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