Amyloidosis is a disease caused by abnormal insoluble protein deposits accumulating in the organs, leading to death from liver or kidney failure. In the past, researchers attempted to identify its causes. However, they were unsuccessful because collecting cases is difficult and analytical tools were inadequate. New methods allow the extraction of DNA from formalin-fixed samples of affected cats, making the University necropsy archives gold mines of case samples and genome wide information on the differential genetic variants between Amyloidosis affected and normal cats. This project will investigate promising DNA variants identified through genome sequencing and screen these historic cases to find markers for development of a genetic test for amyloidosis in Abyssinian cats. (Abyssinian Health Fund Study)
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