Episode shownotes
Loyal is a San Francisco-based startup that is seeking to treat the underlying causes of aging in dogs. Loyal has raised $11 million in seed funding so far, and is planning to start clinical trials of medications in 2022 and 2023. In this episode, BioAge VP-Media Chris Patil talks with Celine Halioua, CEO and founder of Loyal.
Celine beginswith by describing the striking difference in lifespan among the dog species, with smaller breeds like the Chihuahua living twice as long as larger breeds like the Great Dane. She explains how historical inbreeding to create larger dogs actually caused them to age faster, and her plan to develop a drug that compensates for this accidental genetic disorder. Celine tells us about The Healthspan Study, which tracks aging markers in dogs, as well as what inspired her to start Loyal, and how their research complements the goals of the University of Washington Dog Aging Project. Celine breaks down the role of caloric restriction in anti-aging across species, why dogs are one of the best models for human aging as a disease, her background in neuroscience and longevity, and her passion for developing drugs for healthspan and lifespan extension. Celine also offers her perspective about encountering skepticism in the biotech industry, the unique challenges faced by young women founders, and overcoming sexist assumptions following the controversial story of Elizabeth Holmes. Finally, Celine shares what’s next for Loyal and her dream to build a consumer-focused pharmaceutical company that people love.
To learn more about Loyal and their dedication to aging health for dogs, visit LoyalForDogs.com.
Episode Highlights:
- Loyal is seeking to determine why, on average, the larger a dog breed is, the shorter their lifespan
- We do not see a 2X lifespan differential among varieties of other animals
- Loyal also looks at ways to pharmacologically improve metabolic resiliency and fitness in aged animals to give them a longer, healthier lifespan
- Historical inbreeding to create larger dogs led them to age faster once they were fully grown
- Loyal is developing a drug that plans to compensate for this accidental genetic disorder
- These drugs will enter clinical trials in 2022 to 2023
- Loyal is also running “The Healthspan Study,” which tracks aging markers in dogs (register your dog here)
- Dogs are like family to their owners, and Celine noticed how heartbroken owners were about their larger dogs aging and dying so early
- This inspired her to start Loyal
- Distinction between healthspan versus simply adding years to life
- Thesis of Dr. Matt Kaeberlein of the University of Washington’s Dog Aging Project
- Most breeds have some sort of predisposition for some sort of disease
- LOY-001 specifically targets a cellular mechanism that is hypothesized to cause large and giant breed dogs to age faster and have shorter lifespans than their small-breed companions
- They are also developing a second drug that is explicitly for dogs of any size, who have already shown signs of aging
- Caloric restriction is one of the most fundamental agents of fighting aging - Loyal aims to replicate that effect with a drug, since most humans and dogs do not want to calorically restrict themselves
- Veterinary drugs need to be approved by the Veterinary FDA (Center for Veterinary Medicine or CVM)
- Dogs are one of the best models of human...