Greetings from Toby's Foundation!

Hope Floats : Toby's Foundation Marks its 4th Anniversary As we celebrate the 4th anniversary of Toby's Foundation, the timing and tools to find a gene marker for canine epilepsy have never been better! We are in a very good position with two outstanding researchers, Dr. Ned Patterson at the University of Minnesota and Dr. Hannes Lohi at the University of Helsinki, doing research on canine epilepsy in the Australian Shepherd to find the gene(s) responsible and develop a screening test. Dr. Patterson and Dr. Lohi recently had the opportunity to meet for the first time in France in May. Dr. Patterson is coordinating with both Dr. Johnson and Dr. Lohi. In a progress report from Dr. Patterson, he said SNP Chip analysis has been completed on 30 affected and 30 unaffected Australian Shepherds by Dr. Hannes Lohi in Finland in collaboration with Dr. Gary Johnson at UMO-Columbia. Dr. Patterson at UMN is collaborating on statistical analysis of this data with them and is prepared to perform SNP chip genotypes and analysis on 20-30 additional affected and 20-30 additional unaffected Aussies in the next 6-9 months if significant association is not found and additional power is need for this breed. SNP markers are run by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN who collaborate with Dr. Patterson. This is exciting news and great cause for hope. We thank you for your generous support. We would not have been able to come this far without your help. Click here to see our 4th anniversary ad

Charitable Giving Memorial Gifts: If you or someone you know has lost a loved one, please make a donation in their memory to support epilepsy research. We have announcement cards available to send to whomever you specify. Thank you! Please make Toby's Foundation part of your charitable giving. Toby's Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. Our Federal Tax Identification number is 74-3135217. Your gift is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law and helps us in our efforts to stop canine epilepsy. Please check with your company about a matching gifts program. We accept donations online (see link below) or you may mail your check to: Toby's Foundation P.O. Box 7321 Laguna Niguel , CA 92677 Please Donate

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AussiE-Update Volume II, No. 11
June 30, 2008