The GHC tries to accommodate all researchers who ask for our help, and we get a number of inquiries. Researchers are attracted to the breed because of the genetic bottleneck caused by WWII. We firmly believe its rather unique autoimmune problems and pigmentation (color) issues make it an excellent model for human autoimmune disease.
On the other hand, we do not wish to foster competition between researchers or violate any of the confidentiality agreements we have with existing ones. If an inquiry leads us to believe a conflict might exist, our policy is to consult with the current researchers in this regard and to try to educate everyone as much as possible about the current state of Akita genomic research.
We regularly solicit statistics from the major health databases in the US, including the Veterinary Medical Database, the Canine Eye Registration Foundation, the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals and the official open health registry for the Akita: the Canine Health Information Center. We DO NOT support anecdotal evidence. We also DO NOT disseminate private pedigree information unless the owner agrees to such action.