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Dr.
Leslie Lyons, a world-renowned researcher in cat genetics, has accepted a
position at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.
Lyons will be the Gilbreath-McLorn Professor
for Comparative Medicine.
Lyons is
a professor of genetics at the University of California-Davis School of
Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health and Reproduction.
Her research laboratory, the Lyons’ Den, is part of the university’s
Center of Companion Animal Health. The Lyons’ Feline Genetics Laboratory
research focuses on the genetics of the domestic cat, the development of
genetic tools and resources that assist gene mapping in the cat and other
companion animals, the discovery of mutations that cause inherited
diseases and phenotypic traits, and population dynamics of breed
development and domestic cat evolution.
“Everything
you need to know about genetics, you can learn from your cat,” Lyons
said. “Most species have all the same genes, but when they get turned on
and off, and for how long, is what makes us different. We (people) have
genes for whiskers and tails, but they aren’t turned on, likewise cats
have genes like humans that cause blindness, heart disease, and kidney
disease,” she explained.
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