The Feline Genome Project is conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Leslie A. Lyons Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor of the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Using buccal (cheek) swabs, tissue, or blood samples of pedigreed cats owned by members of the Cat Fanciers Association, Dr. Lyons is establishing a genetic database which can be used for multiple research purposes.
Dr. Lyons' team of collaborators has already identified the genetic mutation which causes PKD (polycystic Kidney Disease) in 38% of Persian cats worldwide, along with related breeds. These findings make it possible to "maintain the different lines of Persian cats and to SLOWLY eradicate the disease," as advised on the U.C. Davis Web site for this phase of the project.
Other ongoing research of the Feline Genome Project includes feline heart disease (HCM); parentage (cat "fingerprinting"); and autosomal dominant traits, (found specifically in Manx, Scottish Fold, and Munchkin cats). Information discovered in this last group may lead to help with human dwarfish, as well as heritable conditions in humans involving bone growth and development, or even osteoarthritis.
The NCBI(National Center for Biotechnology Information) has a good listing of Cat Genome Resources. Lest you think feline genetic testing is all about cat breeds, it was feline dna which led to the recent discovery that the domestic cat had its origin in the middle-east, rather than in Egypt, as previously believed.
The knowledge we can glean from the science of dna testing is just one more factor in the new Age of Awareness of the past decade.