Innovation Insights: Idexx Cancer DX, PathChat FDA News, Bryan Johnson but for dogs, and PFAS in animals
Periodically I’ll share some of the latest developments in animal health including emerging startup companies, noteworthy innovations, trends, and impactful scientific publications. You’ll also get occasional book or podcast recommendations.
I value your input- if you have a newsworthy item or resource you think should be featured, please share it! Let’s keep our finger on the pulse of innovation in animal health together!
Early Cancer Detection in dogs is about to change in a big way
Idexx’s big news at VMX 2025 was its upcoming launch of a novel liquid biopsy test, Idexx Cancer Dx, for early cancer detection in dogs. Frequent readers of this newsletter know that I’m keenly interested in liquid biopsy applications. (See this prior newsletter in which we paid tribute to PetDX, the first company in veterinary medicine to launch an early detection cancer screening blood test commercially). Unfortunately, details are limited right now and are insufficient to whet the appetite of the scientifically minded. A white paper is expected prior to launch in late March 2025. But what we do know is enough to be both intriguing and exciting. Here are some details: The test is specifically for lymphoma in dogs and is $15 (!!!!)…… evaluated using the existing samples mailed in for wellness screening without any additional sample, special tube, or special sample handling requirements. They’ve definitely got the affordable and convenient boxes ticked on this one. The test is multimodal, with two stages depending on initial results. An immunoassay is run first on serum and gives a result of lymphoma or not lymphoma within 2-3 days. Sensitivity is 74% and specificity is 99%. If positive, PCR is then evaluated on the EDTA whole blood sent in as part of the wellness package, providing phenotype (T vs. B cell lymphoma). What biomarkers are they evaluating? For that we are all going to have to wait for Idexx to release more details. But I’d love to generate as much speculation as possible, so please send me your ideas! They won’t be published. It’s just for fun. Oh yeah, and Idexx claims they’ll have 50% of common malignancies similarly covered in the next few years.
Direct To Satellite Animal Monitoring
Livestock wander off, get stolen, underutilize or undergraze pastures, move less when they are sick, and in general do many things that would be valuable to track. A number of companies exist with technology allowing farmers, ranchers, and companies to track livestock and wildlife, but this is still a technology with room for improvement and optimization. An Australian company, Ceres Tag, specializes in solar powered direct-to-satellite animal monitoring technology. Today, Ceres Tag announced that it has chosen Overland Park, KS to be the home of its first-ever North American headquarters.
5 pet care startups received $25,000 from Purina as part of their ninth annual Pet Care Innovation Prize. The prize comes with mentorship as well, a valuable benefit for any early stage company. In the spirit of giving startups as much publicity as possible, here they are with the short descriptions Purina provided:
- **VEA:** Based in Alexandria, Va., VEA is an AI-driven platform designed to predict disease, generate diagnostic plans and support nutrition for longevity. VEA also aims to solve workflow and documentation challenges for clinical staff, reducing the number of clicks it takes to complete exams and enabling veterinary teams to focus more on patient care.
- **Maven: New York-based** Maven is the first vet-recommended health sensor capable of continuously monitoring pets’ well-being and identifying early, clinically relevant changes. With these insights, pet owners and clinic teams can diagnose issues sooner and treat more effectively, helping pets live healthier, happier lives.
- **Ten Lives: San Francisco-based** Ten Lives produces the cleanest animal proteins for cats. Using microbes to convert sugar to protein, Ten Lives develops the same proteins naturally found in prey such as rabbit, fish and lamb, made without animals in human-grade precision fermentation facilities.
- **ShopDot Pet:** Based in Missoula, Mont., ShopDot Pet is a platform that allows neighborhood pet care providers such as groomers, trainers and vets to generate additional revenue by easily selling pet essentials without the heavy costs of inventory or shipping. ShopDot Pet enables pet service businesses and great pet brands to collaborate and sell more together.
- **Yak9 Chews:** Based in Austin, Tex., Yak9 Chews is an award-winning premium pet brand dedicated to crafting all-natural, long-lasting cheese chews for dogs, made from simple, real and ethically sourced ingredients.
PathChat keeps rocking along with FDA breakthrough device designation
Last year I wrote regarding my excitement about PathChat, a newly released AI Copilot from Faisal Mahmood and his team at MIT. Since then they’ve continued to pump out publications and data, and have formed the company, Modella AI. This week, PathChat received FDA breakthrough device designation. What does this mean? FDA Breakthrough Device Designation is reserved for medical devices that offer significant advantages over existing standard of care, addressing unmet medical needs, or providing critical advancements in healthcare. This results in prioritized FDA review and collaboration with the agency, and could expedite the development and commercialization process. Are pathologists needing a tool like PathChat, or will we be using it all day long in its current iteration? Probably not. However, I’m over-the-moon excited with the capabilities they’ve built and the potential here, and think it spells successful things to come. The educational opportunity for students and residents is also fun to dream about. Keep watching PathChat and Modella AI.
A new take on old ways. Video avatars that explain diagnostics to clients
I’m a sucker for this kind of thinking outside the box that takes a time-honored and traditional way of doing something and then goes completely unconventional. In this study, an LLM was used to simplify and summarize complex radiographic reports and communicate them to patients via a generated avatar. Although much work and validation has to be done before used widely, this is a neat way to use emerging technology for better medical communication. To showcase how good this kind of summary and verbal communication can be, check out the Google NotebookLM podcast features which allows you to turn documents/papers into a conversational style podcast that will blow your mind. Will we some day be able to have a video avatar answer the inevitable “What kind of worm do you think this is doc?” semi-annual questions from our distant family members. I sure hope so.
Watch the ReXplain video here
Dog aging: Rapamycin to the rescue?
Rapamycin (sirolimus) is an MTOR pathway inhibitor that has long been used as an immunosuppressive to prevent organ rejection during transplants in people. It’s also been used to treat certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and there is growing interest in it’s potential to extend lifespan and delay age-related disease. Researchers at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences recently received $7 million from the NIH to study rapamycin’s ability to extend the lives of dogs as part of the Dog Aging Project. Gig ‘em Aggies! And yes, in case you’re wondering and about to google it, Bryan Johnson did include rapamycin as part of his “Don’t Die” protocol until pulling it recently due to recurrent infections associated with the immunosuppression. That creepy face though…..
Bryan Johnson living his best life now...and forever
We’re learning a lot about PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) right now. Humans make them with our manufacturing processes, they don’t degrade in the environment, and they accumulate in living organisms. This study looked at serum samples from 31 dogs and 32 horses that reside in Gray’s Creek NC, at households with documented PFAS contamination in drinking water. For decades, Fayetteville Waterworks, a fluorochemical manufacturing facility in central North Carolina discharged PFAS into the environment through vent stack emissions and in wastewater into the Cape Fear River. PFAS were detected in all animals, supporting the utility of animals serving as sentinels of PFAS exposure differences inside and outside the home. Although long term health effects are still being explored, I expect we’ll hear a lot more about PFAS in both humans and our furry friends.
*****Please note that I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in this newsletter, nor do I receive any financial benefit from endorsing them. My interest is purely based on their innovative contributions to the industry.*****
