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DNA BANK

DNA BANK

Background

The Health Trust Fund (HTF) of the Scottish Terrier Club of America (STCA) established  a repository of Scottish Terrier DNA in 2020 as it was clear that research utilizing complete DNA sequences of people and dogs was the future of disease discovery.

Establishing a DNA Bank was the best way to ensure the preservation of the Scottish Terrier genetic heritage.

The HTF DNA Bank now resides at Azenta Life Sciences in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Purpose

The purpose of the DNA Bank is to preserve DNA from as many Scottish Terrier bloodlines as possible. There are dogs alive today from most of the foundational bloodlines of the Scottish Terrier breed, both here in the US and from around the world.  These dogs and their descendants carry the genetic heritage of our breed. By establishing the DNA Bank, we have a permanent repository of our breed’s genetic heritage for future HTF approved health research studies that could benefit all Scotties. With technology advancing rapidly and becoming more affordable, we want to position the breed to take advantage of new tools as they become available, helping us understand the genetic basis of both healthy traits and abnormalities. Now is the time to get ready for our future.

Process

The DNA is isolated from donated Scottish Terrier blood as it produces the highest quality product. A typical blood draw of 3ml is more than sufficient for obtaining robust amounts of DNA for research.

 

In addition to the DNA, health and pedigree information is collected by the HTF at the time of the blood sample donation, allowing for the identification of the most appropriate samples for each project. This combined information is then entered into the Scottish Terrier Health Database and is kept confidential and used solely for research purposes.

 

GET INVOLVED

Owners can contribute to the DNA bank by:

  • Providing a 3ml blood sample from their Scottish Terrier.
     
  • Completing a detailed health and pedigree questionnaire.
     
  • Providing major health updates to the bank throughout the dog’s life.

     

     

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS OUR BLOOD DRAW KIT

The HTF encourages STCA regional clubs and established rescue groups to host DNA blood draw clinics so that multiple samples can be sent in together to save on shipping fees.

Breeders are strongly encouraged to collaborate with a regional club or rescue organization to contribute their dogs’ valuable samples to the DNA bank.

 

To help reduce the financial impact on clubs and groups, the HTF offers grants to help cover the veterinarian and technician expenses and will reimburse shipment costs for larger numbers of samples collected at one time.

FAQ

DNA Banking involves the long-term, secure storage of DNA samples and genetic data generated from specific animal samples. For example, there are canine DNA Repositories at Cornell University Veterinary Biobank and with OFA’s Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) at the University of Missouri providing DNA for research.

Every sample submitted for storage in the HTF DNA Bank adds to the growing collection of invaluable Scottie genetic material available for health research. By studying DNA from affected and healthy individuals, researchers can identify genetic mutations responsible for numerous diseases common to our breed. Moreover, having access to a broad gene pool of healthy Scottish Terrier DNA allows for better understanding of what variants are not disease-causing, helping focus on variants that do cause disease. As genomic technologies evolve, DNA samples collected today may become even more valuable in the future as researchers will be able to use stored samples to uncover new insights about disease predisposition, drug response, aging, and more. A robust DNA bank provides the raw material for such discoveries—now and decades from now.

In March of 2025, the HTF moved the Scottie DNA Bank to Azenta Life Sciences located in Indianapolis, IN. Azenta receives blood and other samples from our Scottish Terriers and extracts the DNA, continuing to build the Scottish Terrier DNA Bank for us. Scottish Terrier DNA from dogs in the US and Canada will be stored at the Indianapolis, IN facility. Scottish Terrier DNA from dogs outside of the US/Canada will be stored at the closest global location. The move to Azenta’s state of the art facility represents a major step-up in operations and enables the HTF to open the bank to valuable Scottie samples from around the world with Azenta’s laboratories and bio-repositories located in Europe and Asia.

The security of your DNA is important to Azenta Life Sciences because they know it is important to you. Azenta: Our internationally-certified staff and facilities handle logistics such as tracking, temperature-controlled packaging, and documentation. We adhere to over 150 industry best practices, setting the benchmark for excellence, so you can trust us to ensure that your irreplaceable biosamples are stored, audited, tracked, and delivered when you need them. The HTF Scottish Terrier DNA Bank is currently stored in ultra-low temperature freezers (-80C).

You will continue to own your Scottie’s DNA. The HTF is the Account Manager for all Scottish Terrier samples processed and stored at Azenta Life Sciences. The HTF DNA Committee will investigate opportunities to contribute samples to proposed or existing research studies and will make recommendations to owners regarding any health research studies that might benefit from access to the DNA Bank. The Committee anticipates that most owners will agree with these recommendations without reservations, but the owners will have the choice.

This will depend entirely on the study and the arrangements made with the researcher. All research projects funded by the HTF are required to provide updates and a final public report using aggregate data from all samples used. Individual Test results will be held in strict confidence and will be communicated to the owners by the researcher.

Yes. The owner can change ownership by providing written instructions to the HTF’s DNA Committee. You will need to fill out, sign, and return a change of ownership form to the Account Manager designated by the HTF to oversee the Scottish Terrier DNA Bank. 

The HTF Scottish Terrier DNA Bank account has been established with Azenta Life Sciences and will be maintained at no cost to you. You will be responsible for the collection of the blood sample by your veterinarian and mailing of the sample to Azenta. EDTA tubes will be used for blood collection and samples will need to be kept chilled, and sent to Azenta overnight on freezer packs. When you submit a sample, you (the owner) will sign a Sample Submission Form and agree to include your dogs’ DNA in the HTF Scottish Terrier DNA Bank Account with Azenta. All costs for extracting the DNA and the yearly storage fees will be covered by the HTF. You will agree to allow the HTF to manage the account and to have access to the stored DNA for research purposes, but only with your consent after full disclosure of how the DNA will be used and how the information derived will be communicated.

In this unlikely circumstance, Azenta will notify the HTF DNA committee well in advance of any change in ownership or dissolution, so that the committee can make arrangements to have the HTF Scottish Terrier DNA Bank safely transferred to a new facility.

In return for having all DNA banking fees paid by the HTF, you will complete an application for the HTF Database and will also provide additional information about the dog, including contact information for any co-owners, the dog’s registered name, AKC number, pedigree information, health history, etc. If the dog being entered into the database is not registered and thus has no AKC number, then a unique number will be assigned to it. All information on the dogs entered by the owner including names, registration, pedigree and other identification and health data will be kept private. Personal contact information of the owner(s) entered in the Database will be kept in strict confidence and be available ONLY to the HTF DNA Database Admin and HTF Manager. Owner names and contact information will be used in private communications by the DNA Committee to keep owners informed. There will be a designated overseer of the entire database to review aggregate data and track significant trends in the population of Scotties with respect to reported health issues and genetic disease incidence. 

Have More Questions?

For further questions, please email us at:

dnabank@scottishterrierhealth.org