Breen Lab @ NCSU

Dr. Breen is a Professor of Genomics and the Oscar J. Fletcher Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology Genetics in the Dept. of Molecular Biomedical Sciences at the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine. He is also a member of the NCSU Comparative Medicine Institute (CMI), Center for Human Health and the Environment, and the  Genetics and Genomics Academy,  as well as the Duke Cancer Institute, and the Cancer Genetics Program at the University of North Carolina’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Breen is a member of the NCSU Research Leadership Academy and also serves as an NC State Faculty Senator.

Dr. Breen was a charter member of the Canine Comparative Oncology and Genomics Consortium (CCOGC), a 501c3 not-for-profit organization established to promote the role of the dog in comparative biomedical research and is member of the steering committee of the NCI’s Integrated Canine Data Commons and serves on the Data Governance Advisory Board of that initiative. Dr. Breen was appointed to the National Academies expert committee tasked with planning a public workshop to examine the role of companion animals as sentinels of shared environmental exposures that may impact human aging and cancer. Dr. Breen is also a charter member of the Sea Lion Cancer Consortium (SLiCC)

Dr. Breen has served on scientific review committees for organizations including the National Institutes of Health, AKC Canine Health Foundation, and the Morris Animal Foundation. He is a regular reviewer for numerous scientific funding agencies and journals. Dr. Breen serves on the editorial board of several journals, as well as Regional Editor for Canine Genetics and Medicine, and Associate Editor of Chromosome Research and Frontiers in Genetics (Molecular Cytogenetics).

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES: Our research focuses on genetics, genomics, and the comparative aspects of animal and human health. We use a range of genetic and genomic technologies to evaluate changes to genome structure that occur in canine cancers as well as for application to wildlife health, conservation and forensics. For our canine studies we aim to improve outcomes for canine cancer patients while simultaneously advancing our understanding of the comparable cancers in people. In addition, we are assessing the impact of daily environmental exposures on animal health, as a sentinel for human health. In our wildlife studies we are evaluating anthropogenic impacts on wildlife health and population structure as well developing forensic tools to aid animal identification.