Don’t like those wet, drooly dog kisses? Here’s an incentive for all anti-droolers: Researchers have found that the DNA on a dog’s tongue could be the key to new treatments for rare cancers in both humans and pooches.

The Translational Genomics Research Institute and the Van Andel Research Institute developed the Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium to understand why people and their pets get sick.

The study used saliva, blood and tumor samples of dogs volunteered by private pet owners for testing in hopes that by studying canine cancer, oncologists can determine the cause of human cancers.

The testing will be animal-safe, and is approved by the American Kennel Club and Morris Animal Foundation. Funding will be supported by private donors, and by a $4.3 million dollar federal stimulus grant.

(Cancer is the cause of death for nearly 50 percent of all dogs older than 10-years-old).

Source: foxnews