Canine Longevity Research
Exploring innovative solutions to help dogs live longer, healthier lives
Extending the Time
with Our Beloved Dogs
Dogs are loyal companions who bring us joy and comfort. However, watching them age and become frail can be heartbreaking. Losing them can cause tremendous pain and leave lasting emotional scars. The Vaika project aims to extend the lifespans of dogs, giving us more time with our beloved pets.
We're Searching for an Anti-Aging Treatment for Dogs
We are a team of scientists and veterinarians in New York State who are passionate about improving the lives of dogs. Our research program, called Vaika, is dedicated to studying canine longevity and finding ways to extend dogs' lives.
As part of our efforts, we operate a specialized facility that provides a happy retirement for sled dogs. We use the latest medical approaches for aging prevention and treatment to help these dogs live longer, healthier lives.
What We Are Doing
We have recruited 100 retired sled dogs from kennels across the United States, who can no longer race, and provided them with a spacious home designed specifically for the Vaika project. The facility includes a large playground where dogs can run freely and enjoy their retirement.
We carefully monitor multiple parameters of the natural aging process in our dogs, similar to what is done with elderly humans. To limit stress on our dogs, we restrict research to periodic blood draws and vaccinations to learn about their immune system. To assess their physical and cognitive health, we use play-based tests, such as problem-solving games, and treadmill exercise.
Important Note: Our dogs are not used as experimental animals
for human drug development.
They are treated with the same standards of safety and care as healthy but aging humans. All of the treatments used in our research have been clinically tested on people and are completely safe for our canine subjects.
Our dogs receive state-of-the-art veterinary care provided by faculty from the School
of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University.
Our Goal:
To Slow Down Aging in Dogs
In addition to providing a happy retirement for our dogs, we are dedicated to studying ways to slow down aging and reduce the risk of cancer using safe and humane methods.
We select only those drugs and procedures that cause no distress and have been safely applied to humans.
Our Scientific Approach
Our research is based on a recent discovery that links aging to the activity of latent viruses residing in our DNA. As people age, the activation of these viruses, along with weakening immune functions, can cause progressive frailty and increase the risk of cancer and other aging-related diseases. This discovery provides an opportunity to slow down aging through antiviral treatments and immunotherapy.
Our multidisciplinary approach to studying canine aging and cancer is made possible through a partnership with leading researchers from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell and North Carolina State Universities. Your donation will help support and expand the crucial infrastructure and research activities in the Aging and Cancer Studies in Dogs program.