They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but biotech seems to have a few tricks up their sleeves that can help our beloved pets live longer. Loyal – a San Francisco-based biotech startup has developed a pill and other interventions that they say can extend the lives of canines and their success in dogs could have major implication in anti-aging for humans.
“We live in the same environments as our dogs and share similar lifestyles,” says Celine Halioua, the founder of Loya. She says that so far, her company has secured $150m in investment to develop what it hopes will be the first widely available lifespan-extension drug for dogs.
Loyal’s research is based on the observation that larger dog breeds tend to have shorter lifespans – Newfoundlands live for an average of 8-10 years, while Chihuahuas average 15-17. To address this, they’re developing a range of vet-prescribed products for the US market that turn down production of IGF-1, a hormone that manages cell growth, found at high levels in larger dogs. Research across a number of species suggests links between IGF-1, age-related disease, and longevity in several species – driven in part by higher oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.
“You could argue that by breeding for larger dogs, we have – to some extent – also bred in a faster rate of ageing in those dogs,” says Dr Matt Kaeberlin, a biologist and longevity expert. “And so turning down IGF-1 would almost definitely have an effect if you administered it while the dog was young – but then, of course, you’d end up with a small dog. The question is if it will work in middle age after the dog has stopped growing. But even if it doesn’t, it should have a pretty big effect on cancer [IGF-1 stimulates cell proliferation, which is linked to the development of some cancers], which we know is a major killer.” As dogs live longer, cancer is increasingly common as a cause of death – especially among breeds like the Bernese mountain dog and bull mastiff. “That means Loyal really has two chances for their system to work,” says Kaeberlin. “So I’m pretty optimistic that it’s going to show some positive effects.”
The company has three drugs in development – Loy-001 and 003 are specifically aimed at larger dogs, while Loy-002, aimed at dogs over 10, is the closest to full FDA approval. In February, the daily tablet received its “reasonable expectation of effectiveness” acknowledgment from the FDA and could be prescribed in the US this year.
LOY-002, a daily flavored tablet developed for dogs aged 10 and older weighing at least 14 pounds, represents a groundbreaking approach to canine longevity by targeting metabolic dysfunction, one of the key underlying mechanisms of aging. This preventive therapy aims to reduce the incidence and severity of age-associated diseases that diminish senior dogs’ quality of life, offering a practical alternative to established longevity interventions like caloric restriction.
Loyal’s is not the only approach that veterinary science is taking to Canine Longevity. The Dog Aging Project, a US-based research initiative currently following tens of thousands of non-laboratory dogs in a long-term study, has been running trials to determine the effects of rapamycin on dogs since 2018 after receiving a five-year grant for nearly $29m from the National Institute on Aging. They’ve prescribed rapamycin to thousands of pet dogs in double-blind, placebo- controlled trials – tracking their health progress through annual questionnaires (or in some cases, DNA testing).
“I believe rapamycin is the best shot on goal,” says Kaeberlin. “Other than caloric restriction, it’s the intervention for which there is by far the most data in preclinical studies, both for lifespan and pretty much every measure of healthspan that people have looked at.” Rapamycin has already shown promising results in worms, yeast, and mice – in the latter, it’s been shown to increase lifespan by a median of 25% while also affecting the prevalence of certain cancers.