She prioritizes specific conditions, including polycystic kidney disease (PKD), skin abnormalities, structural defects, and inherited blindness.
Through her investigations of phenotypic traits, she has enabled cat breeders to enhance the efficiency of their breeding programs, ultimately benefiting feline welfare.
[4] In 2013, Lyons joined the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri and launched the 99 Lives Cat Genome Sequencing Initiative, with funding from the Winn Feline Foundation.
As of January 2016, her team had obtained DNA samples from 74 domestic cats and 9 wild felids, including lions and tigers,[6] with close to 200 sequenced by November 2018.
[6] The Felid Taxon Advisory Group once informed the program about a widespread issue of black-footed cats (Felis nigripes) iin U.S. zoos going blind.
[4] In 2004, Lyons and her team discovered that the genetic mutations causing polycystic kidney disease occur in the same gene in both humans and cats.
The finding opened new avenues for studying the disease, leading her to investigate other parts of the cat genome to understand their impact on the progression and severity of PKD.
[citation needed] Lyons has highlighted the underappreciation of cats in the scientific community and has advocated for their use as model organisms in genetic research.