Scientists at the animal pharmaceutical company Loyal are winners of the 2024 Gizmodo Science Fair for their research into drugs that could extend the lifespans of big and small dogs alike.
The question
Is it possible to reliably—and safely—extend a dog’s life?
The results
Last November, the Food and Drug Administration told Loyal it had a “reasonable expectation of effectiveness” concerning the drug LOY-001, based on its evaluation of the company’s early lab and animal data, which suggested that the drug can prolong a large dog’s lifespan by preventing or reducing the risk of age-related health issues. LOY-001 is thought to do this by lowering levels of a hormone that can be more abundant in big breeds. The declaration was an important part of the company’s development of the drug. If the FDA gives its okay to Loyal’s safety and manufacturing data on LOY-001, Loyal expects to receive conditional approval of the drug by 2026, which would allow it to market the drug to dog owners while large-scale clinical trials are underway.
Why they did it
Large dogs have have shorter lifespans on average than smaller ones—one of the many unintended complications that has come with people’s selective breeding of canines over the past few hundred years. Big breeds tend to have a higher risk of cancer, diseases of the ear, nose and throat, and other conditions that can shorten a dog’s life.
Loyal’s experimental drug is intended to “delay the accelerated aging that seems to occur in large dogs as a consequence of our intensively breeding them to be bigger and bigger,” said Brennen McKenzie, a practicing vet and Loyal’s director of veterinary medicine. LOY-001 is given every three to six months via injection and is specifically designed to reduce levels of insulin-like growth factor 1, a hormone that seems to play a key role in dog size and is more abundantly found in larger dogs.
But the company isn’t stopping there. The team has developed a daily pill version of LOY-001 for large dogs, called LOY-003. Their second drug, LOY-002, uses a different approach to more broadly improve a dog’s metabolic health, which the company hopes can extend the lives of all but the smallest senior dogs.
Why they’re a winner
Given the chance, most pet owners would choose to lengthen the lifespans of their furry companions, so long as their pets can enjoy a good quality of life with that extra time. That’s a concern that Loyal is well aware of and will be measuring in its ongoing research.
“I always like to emphasize that the center of our work is extending health—we want to keep dogs healthy, longer,” said McKenzie. “So there’s nothing about our preventative medicine approach that is likely to lead dogs to living longer unless they’re healthy and happy.”
It’s also possible that deciphering the secrets to better longevity in dogs could someday lead to drugs that can do the same for humans, he added.
Loyal was founded in 2019 by CEO Celine Halioua, herself a long-time animal owner. Its three drugs would be its first successful products to reach the market, if approved. The San-Francisco-based company isn’t just developing novel drugs, though, but has helped create the infrastructure needed to study and market similar medicines in the future.
What’s next
The company launched a large-scale trial of LOY-002 this year, called STAY, that will enroll 1,000 senior dogs. It is also continuing research into LOY-001 and LOY-003, with the hope that these drugs could receive conditional FDA approval by 2026. In February 2024, the company dosed its first subject of the STAY trial, a 11-year-old dog named Boo.
The team
Loyal’s CEO and founder is Celine Halioua, and clinical development of its drugs is being led by Ellen Ratcliff. In addition to Brennen McKenzie, the company is working with many vets as part of its research and development, with the STAY trial alone expected to involve over 50 independent veterinary clinics. “There’s been tremendous enthusiasm. Veterinarians are eager to have another tool in their toolbox,” McKenzie said. “So it absolutely is a community process for sure.”
Click here to see all of the winners of the 2024 Gizmodo Science Fair.
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