Study of cruciate ligament problems in dogs may help sports stars with bad knees

The Guardian is reporting that researchers at Liverpool university are exploring whether genetic factors make some animals – particularly Newfoundland dogs – more likely to suffer cruciate ligament damage. This may have practical relevance in the treatment of sports stars with knee injuries.
One researcher said:

“The disease in humans tends to occur when stress is put on the ligament, but there have been some preliminary findings that suggest there is a genetic component that could predispose humans to the condition. Our project will be looking at many genes and the results of our study in dogs will be comparative to the human medical field.”