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Researchers at Genflow Biosciences have reported encouraging new results from an experimental gene therapy designed to improve health and longevity in ageing dogs. Three months after treatment, older dogs receiving the therapy continued to show improvements with no reported safety concerns, suggesting the benefits may be longer-lasting than initially expected.
The ongoing SLAB trial is testing a gene therapy based on SIRT6, a gene linked to healthy ageing and found in unusually long-lived people. The study involves 24 beagles over the age of 10, with scientists comparing treated animals against untreated controls. Early findings indicate that treated dogs have better survival rates and improvements in measures linked to muscle health and physical function. Researchers are also analysing biological age using epigenetic, or "methylation", clocks.
Genflow believes the therapy could eventually improve quality of life for ageing companion animals while also providing insights into treatments for age-related diseases in humans. The company is expanding collaborations with major animal health companies and expects to release additional six-month data, including biological ageing and muscle tissue analyses, once the trial is complete.
Although the treatment remains experimental, the results add to growing evidence that targeting the biological processes of ageing may help extend healthspan. If future studies confirm the findings, gene therapies based on longevity-associated genes such as SIRT6 could become a promising new approach for veterinary medicine and, potentially, human ageing research.
