Shaying Zhao and the AKC Canine Health Foundation

Shaying Zhao, a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar, received $108,000 from the AKC Canine Health Foundation to improve the gene description of dog DNA sequences. Unlike the human genome and those of a few other species, the dog genome has been annotated for its gene contents by primarily relying on gene information from humans, mice, rats and other species. As a result, the current dog gene annotation has many errors and is missing much dog-specific information. Zhao will identify gene transcripts specific to major dog tissues and cell types. The project will significantly help research in areas of canine health. Zhao is an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and a member of the Institute of Bioinformatics in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.