Anivive, Basepaws Partner to Study Feline Genetics and Diabetes

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Press release: Anivive Lifesciences

Anivive Lifesciences, a pet pharmaceutical company, and Basepaws, a pet DNA sequencing company, have formed a new partnership to study feline genetics and diabetes. The companies are encouraging veterinarians and cat owners interested in participating to sign up online.

“Participants will not only be helping advance feline diabetes research, but they will also receive a free genetic breed and health report about their cat,” said Anivive’s founder and CEO, Dylan Balsz. “We are excited to work directly with cat owners to increase our understanding of diabetes. This partnership underscores how Anivive’s software is accelerating the development of new pet medicines.”

“Feline diabetes is a growing problem, but available treatments are expensive and rely mostly on symptom control through insulin therapy and dietary management,” explained Anivive’s chief medical officer David Bruyette, DVM, DACVIM. “There is currently no clear understanding of the contribution of genetic factors to feline diabetes. This study offers cat owners the opportunity to take a direct role in developing genetics-based precision medicine tools aiming to improve and extend the lives of diabetic cats.”

Beginning today, owners can visit the website to complete a short survey about their cat’s health. Anivive will mail eligible participants a free DNA collection kit. After collecting a DNA sample (a single saliva swab from their cat’s mouth), owners mail the kit back with pre-paid postage. Anivive and Basepaws are covering the entire cost of the study, including the genetic test ($129 value).

“As a consumer pet health company, we focus on partnering with innovative companies like Anivive, who are leading research to advance our understanding of feline biology and improve the health management of cats around the world,” said Basepaws’ chief veterinary officer Chris Menges, DVM, MPH.

Pet owners and their cats will help advance the development of new, targeted and potentially disease-modifying therapies, as well as genetics-based diagnostic tools for feline diabetes.