Imagine sharing more years with your dog, witnessing their vitality even in old age. This is the promise behind recent advancements in biotechnology focused on animals. Companies like the U.S.-based Loyal and projects like the Dog Aging Project are investigating drugs designed to extend the healthy lifespan of dogs.
Loyal, a biotechnology company based in San Francisco, has developed a chewable medication called LOY-002, which, according to their research, could extend dogs' lives by one to three years. The key to this treatment lies in slowing down certain metabolic processes linked to aging, such as insulin resistance, which could reduce age-related fragility.
The Dog Aging Project, on the other hand, is researching an already known human medication: rapamycin. This immunosuppressant, used in humans after organ transplants, has shown in studies with mice the ability to extend lifespan and improve cardiovascular and cognitive functions. Current trials with domestic dogs aim to determine if these benefits replicate in naturally aging animals.
The desire to share more time with our dogs is understandable. However, these investigations raise important ethical questions about manipulating the life cycle of animals. To what extent do these drugs pursue the animal's well-being versus a human desire to avoid loss?
Animal ethics experts caution that any biotechnological intervention must always prioritize the animal's quality of life, not merely the extension of time. A dog that lives longer but suffers physical discomfort, loss of mobility, or cognitive decline would not truly benefit from these treatments.
Another aspect to consider is accessibility. Loyal has yet to specify the final price, but it is expected to be high, raising the question: will this advance be accessible only to a few? The inequality in access to veterinary care is already a social reality, and the arrival of longevity medications could widen that gap.
The emotional bond between humans and dogs is deep and beneficial for both parties. Numerous studies have shown that living with a dog can reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, and promote active lifestyles. However, this close bond can also generate a human desire to avoid loss at any cost, even when the animal's well-being may no longer be adequate. The key question is: are we extending life for the dog's benefit or to prevent our own grief?
As science moves toward the possibility of prolonging dogs' lives, it must be accompanied by reflection on what true animal welfare entails. It's not just about adding years; it's about ensuring that those years are filled with health, care, and quality of life for our canine companions.
Research on how to prevent age-related decline in dogs has implications beyond them: 'Discovering how to prevent age-related decline in canines is a major indicator for doing the same in humans, as dogs suffer from age-related diseases similarly and share our environments and habits in ways that laboratory mice do not,' said Celine Halioua, founder and CEO of Loyal.
Loyal has raised over 112 million euros in funding, a notable achievement given that many companies have been cautious about investing in longevity projects due to the duration of clinical trials. However, dog-based trials advance more rapidly due to these animals' shorter life cycles. 'If we succeed with dogs, it could be a turning point for informing how to provide human populations with additional healthy life,' said Daniel Promislow, co-director of the Dog Aging Project and gerontologist at the University of Washington. 'Our study is light-years ahead of anything that has been done or can be done in humans in this field,' he added.
Promislow explained that what they are doing is 'the equivalent of a 40-year study on humans, testing a drug's ability to increase lifespan.' Despite promising results, researchers warn that there is still a long way to go before these findings can be directly applied to human life.