Proteomic approach in the discovery of early-stage biomarkers in kidney and cardiac disease of dog (BioDog)

Proteins play essential roles in every cellular process. Biomarkers have the potential to identify key disease indicators at the individualised level, as well as to detect a disease at the early-stages before the development/advance of a serious illness. The emergence of innovative, post-genomic technology, like proteomics, led to the development of strategies aimed at identifying altered, sensitive biomarkers specific to the disease among thousands of molecules present in biological samples. Blood and urine contains multitude, unstudied, and unknown biomarkers, particularly in low-molecular region of blood and urine proteome. Babesiosis, idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (iDCM), and chronic valvular disease (CVD-MV) in dogs are common and serious disease. The aims of the project is: to discover novel, early-stage biomarkers of kidney and cardiac disease in dogs which could lead toward more precise and adequate diagnose, prognosis, and monitoring of these diseases; to perform a proteomic analysis on the sera and urine of dogs with uncomplicated and complicated form of babesiosis, as well as dogs with diagnosed iDCM and CVD-MV in order to identify novel, early-stage diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers; to expand the pathway signalling research in order to improve the understanding of pathogenesis for studied disease; to validate new biomarkers for studied diseases. Tthese expected scientific outcomes will contribute in practice: (a) in a short term view, to detect individualised molecular fingerprints; to improve the diagnosis and prognosis of iDCM, CVD-MV, and babesiosis, as well as potential targets for novel approaches to monitor the therapies of these diseases; to enable the ability to personalise the treatment of individual patients resulting in enhanced patient care; and (b) in a long-term view, to allow entry of proteomics in clinical veterinary medicine in Croatia and transfer of knowledge in –omics- technologies in other parts of veterinary medicine.