Human clinical trials are notorious for undergoing many lengthy processes in which research subjects are monitored and can take decades, enough to last them the rest of their lives. However, clinical trials for dogs do not take that long because their lifespans are short. This means that anti-aging drugs for dogs will likely be developed before anti-aging drugs are developed for humans. Anti-aging supplements for dogs are honestly in high demand because they strike a chord with us.
Multiple clinical trials are currently underway testing the potential of anti-aging compounds in dogs. Dogs are man’s best friend and most people do everything they can to make their lives as comfortable as possible, so dogs are potentially a huge market. But while this science may ultimately benefit both humans and dogs, unfortunately some premature claims are already causing credibility issues.
For example, Harvard University biologist David Sinclair began marketing a life-extending supplement for dogs called “Leap Years” from Animal Biosciences, proclaimed the success of unpublished clinical trials, and initially said the treats were It issued a press release promising that it was “proven to reverse aging.” “Dogs,” but then changed the press release to say it reverses the effects of age-related decline.
Although the FDA has the authority to regulate veterinary drugs, the FDA does not approve supplements for humans or pets. This means supplements may be sold without rigorous testing for safety and effectiveness. But whether or not these anti-aging supplements work, they’ll likely be in demand from desperate dog owners who want to help their best friends live longer, healthier lives. In the past, some owners have even cloned dead or dying dogs in the hopes that the clone is essentially the reincarnation of their beloved fur baby.
Some experts already have trouble distinguishing genuine research efforts from self-proclaimed experts promoting harmful fad diets and unproven anti-aging treatments. I am concerned that this could damage the reputation of this field.
There is much more to gain from better scientific knowledge about aging than just financial benefits. After all, aging is a risk factor for all major fatal diseases, and an aging population will suffer more at any age. – With this knowledge, related wear and tear problems can be prevented, delayed, or even cured.
But before this can happen, these experts need to agree on the causes of aging and what approaches are most effective. In some cases, there may be multiple causes and a personalized approach may be required. There is still much to learn. There appear to be many causes of aging, from genetics, telomeres, and the proliferation of senescent cells to chronic inflammation.
Some of the possible mechanisms could be modified using Petri dishes and drugs that work on worms, drugs that work on fruit flies, and drugs that make mice live longer and healthier lives. However, we all know that such research often cannot be applied to humans. And which drugs should be tried on humans? Clinical trials for these drugs will likely take decades before participants can be monitored for the rest of their lives.
This makes dogs a promising model for identifying promising drug candidates. They are long-lived enough to serve as a better model of human aging than mice, but short-lived enough that drug candidates can be tested in years rather than decades.
The Canine Aging Project is currently collecting data from thousands of dogs and conducting canine clinical trials with a drug called rapamycin that measures actual, not proxy, lifespan. The biological data they are collecting could help explain why large dogs don’t live as long as small dogs.
It has been speculated that a company called Royal is also conducting fairly secretive research and testing drugs that inhibit the effects of growth hormone, which is associated with accelerated aging in large breed dogs, but this has not yet been confirmed. Not yet. Royal recently partnered with more than 50 veterinary clinics across the country to distribute one of its drugs, called LOY-002, in a first-of-its-kind study called the STAY study targeting metabolic fitness processes.
For those who are skeptical, there is a lot of promise in studying how and why animals age, not just dogs. Certain bivalves can live up to 500 years, rockfish can live up to 200 years, giant tortoises can live over 200 years, whales can live into their 80s, and Greenland sharks can live up to 200 years. You can live for more than a year. Even more amazingly, the vitreous cavernosa is one of the oldest animals on Earth, estimated to live for over 10,000 years.
In the cycle of life and death, there is only one truly special creature that we know of. It is turritopsis dohrnii, also known as the immortal jellyfish. This tiny creature is probably smaller than your little fingernail, but it is the only known biologically immortal animal on Earth.
If scientists can understand the mechanisms of aging, they will be better equipped to find ways to help us and our beloved pets live longer and healthier lives. But scientists need investors and the public to take their work seriously. “Snake oil”. Imagine what you could learn from immortal jellyfish and glass sponges. For those willing to accept the challenge, the future is wide open and ripe with opportunity.
