POSTER ABSTRACTS
hurdle is that the vast majority of cats, >90% throughout the world, are randomly bred and have low linkage disequilibrium (LD) and high genetic variation, requiring increased marker density for trait mapping in these animals. Therefore, a high-density DNA array was developed to fill the void and help localize causal variants to focus sequence investigations. Unrelated and diverse popu- lation representatives of cats from the 99 Lives project were used to identify DNA variants for an ~2 million Affymetrix Axiom screening array. Variants included known trait and disease variants, subsets of variants from the 63K and Hills 250K DNA arrays, X and Y chromosome variants, mtDNA variants and variants specific to leopard cats. Approximately 1400 cats were tested on the screening array. Genotype data is being validated to support the development of a ~750K to be commercially available. #34 Rehoming The UK DNA Companion Animal Archive Lorna J Kennedy1,5 , William ER Ollier1, Lucy L Davison2,3, Sally Ricketts4, Cathryn Mellersh4, Stephen WR Harrison5, John Hunt6, and Philippe Wilson5,6 Lorna.Kennedy@manchester.ac.uk 1Centre for Integrated Genomic Medical Research (CIGMR), University of Manchester, UK, 2Clinical Sciences and Services, Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, UK, 3Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, UK, 4Kennel Club Genetics Centre, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK, 5School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, UK, 6Medical Technologies Innovation Facility (MTIF), Nottingham Trent University, UK A Brief History The UK DNA Companion Animal Archive has been curated and maintained by Lorna Kennedy and Bill Ollier in Manchester since 1996. This national DNA Biobanking resource uses a computerised system to deliver DNA to individually barcoded tubes, accessible on request by researchers. The archive has >40,000 samples, each one with signed consent for research use, and a phenotype form. The majority of the samples are canine. This priceless, unique resource represents years of dedicated effort by veterinarians, dog breeders and owners, both in the UK and globally. The importance of these collections, which are among the largest in the world, should not be underestimated. Experimental results have been generated for thousands of these dogs, including DLA typing and the Illumina HD array. As whole genome sequencing becomes increasingly affordable, we are also starting to accumulate genomic data. The archive has benefitted from having access to all the facilities and equipment available in CIGMR, being co-located with the large human BioBank, which was established >30 years ago. However, the current facilities are being decommissioned and the Archive is therefore being divided by disease phenotype and samples re-homed. Fortunately, three research groups have been iden- tified who have agreed to jointly house this important collection. These are: Cathryn Mellersh & Sally Ricketts at the University of Cambridge; Lucy Davison at the Royal Veterinary College; Stephen Harrison & Philippe Wilson at the Nottingham Trent University, collectively forming the UK Animal Archive Network (UKAAN). We receive regular applications to withdraw samples for research projects and samples will continue to be made available to credible researchers.
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