April 25th marks National DNA Day, a celebration of genetic discoveries, including the double helix in 1953 and the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. The scientific achievements in genetics over the last 70+ years have been nothing short of spectacular, and yet many frontiers remain unexplored, including the genetics of our beloved cats.
Darwin’s Ark is proud to have partnered with three scientific leaders—UMass Chan Medical School, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition—to launch Darwin’s Cats, our community-powered research initiative exploring cat genetics.
The Darwin’s Cats partnership stems from our shared beliefs that advancing genetic discovery will improve cat health and well-being, and that community-powered research can catalyze feline genetic breakthroughs. But beyond conviction, the partnership also brings together a unique combination of expertise and resources that, when matched with essential insights from the cat lovers, will explore feline genetics in ways that haven’t been done before.
Darwin’s Cats Partners
UMass Chan Medical School has been a key partner to Darwin’s Ark since the inception of our first initiative, Darwin’s Dogs. Home to the Karlsson Lab, UMass Chan contributes expertise in comparative genomics that will help Darwin’s Cats’ research make meaningful advancements for both feline and human health. The school’s ongoing contributions serve as a cornerstone of medical expertise for Darwin’s Cats.
Broad Institute has also supported Darwin’s Ark since its early days. Renowned for its genomics research, the Broad Institute brings state-of-the-art genetic technologies that have already been instrumental in developing Darwin’s Cats’ novel fur-based DNA sequencing method. Our Broad affiliate scientists have deep expertise in population genetics that will help Darwin’s Cats make meaning out of the mysteries encoded in the cat genomes.
Hill’s Pet Nutrition is a new Darwin’s Ark partner with a long-standing commitment to science-based pet nutrition. For more than 75 years, Hill’s has been dedicated to pioneering research for dogs and cats and leveraging science-led nutrition to support pet health and well-being. In fact, Hill’s helped fund one of the first cat genome sequencing studies in 2007. Hill’s serves as a funding and thought partner to Darwin’s Cats, bringing pet health expertise and strong veterinary connections.
As a community-science nonprofit, Darwin’s Ark rounds out the partnership with our proven track record of mobilizing pet lovers to support scientific research. Through our Darwin’s Cats initiative, we work with with cat owners worldwide to gather survey and genetic data. By uniting the scientific expertise from our organizational partners with insights from the cat-loving community, we are laying the foundation for genetic discoveries that will improve cat health and well-being.
But wait, there’s one more partner: you!
Darwin’s Cats’ organizational partnership was essential for getting the research off the ground, but the initiative’s beating heart belongs to a fifth partner: our community scientists. It’s only because of cat lovers’ curiosity and willingness to contribute their time, expertise, and cat’s DNA that the study’s genetic discoveries will become a reality.
If you’re interested in helping shape the future of feline science, tell us all about your cat through our research surveys or consider sequencing your cat’s DNA. Together, we can create a healthier, happier future for cats everywhere.
