Invited Presentation Biobanking - Blue Sky Horizons (ABNA 19th Annual Conference)

Purpose, Partnership and Possibilities - The Dog Aging Project Biobank (#34)

Lara Mouttham 1
  1. Cornell Veterinary Biobank, Ithaca, NY, United States

Age is the single greatest risk factor for many diseases in humans, including nearly every major cause of mortality in developed nations. Short-lived laboratory animals as model species do not always adequately reflect human physiology and disease, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive and relevant model of human aging. Canines and humans share numerous similarities that make dogs a promising translational model for identifying risk factors that influence longevity. Companion dogs experience patterns of actuarial aging and age-trajectories analogous to humans, and share the same environment, including exposure to the same naturally occurring pathogens, with similar risk for disease. Furthermore, dogs age at a considerably faster rate, making them a practical model of aging for humans. The Dog Aging Project (DAP) is a longitudinal study of aging that follows tens of thousands of companion dogs across the United States to identify the biological and environmental factors that affect aging. By using a powerful multi-institutional infrastructure, the DAP recruits participating dog-owner pairs and collects survey data, publicly available environmental data, and biospecimens for whole genome sequencing, clinical chemistry, and -omic measures. Studying aging in the companion dog provides an opportunity to better understand the biological and environmental determinants of healthy lifespan in our pets, and to translate those findings to human aging. In addition to supporting specific DAP research goals, biological material and associated data (BMaD) collected by the DAP are made accessible to external researchers. As such, the DAP Biobank was created to support both the immediate goals of the DAP, as well as future research by the broader scientific community, and to ensure the integrity and fitness-for-purpose of its BMaD. The DAP Biobank is housed and operated by the Cornell Veterinary Biobank, the first biobank in the world to receive accreditation to ISO 20387:2018, utilizing standardized biobanking processes and supporting accurate and reproducible research outputs. The DAP Biobank employs a risk-based dynamic strategy to prioritize the collection, preservation, storage, and distribution of BMaD that are of the highest value and impact to the research community and enable rapid adjustments in response to QA/QC activities and user feedback. Additionally, proactive marketing strategies are utilized to ensure that researchers around the world are aware and take full advantage of the DAP Biobank collection, impacting translational research and benefiting animal and human health.