A study published in PLOS Genetics, led by Kerstin Lindblad-Toh at Uppsala University/SciLifeLab, sheds new light on the genetics behind breast cancer. In the first study, the researchers have used technologies at the SNP&SEQ Technology Platform at SciLifeLab to compare genes from healthy dog individuals with genes from individuals with breast cancer. One gene that was found to influence the development of breast tumors is CDK5RAP2 on chromosome 11. Canine breast cancer has a lot in common with the human form of the disease and the researchers hope that their findings will enable improved diagnostics and treatments of the disease in the future.