AniV8, Inc. is collaborating with Elanco Animal Health to evaluate AniV8’s wearable technology in research settings. AniV8’s collar-mounted device is based on high quality science, using patented proprietary algorithms and cloud-based data analytics to measure the quality – rather than quantity – of movement. It is the first wearable health monitor to diagnose and monitor osteoarthritis pain in dogs and cats in this way. AniV8’s monitor is expected to provide study clinicians at North Carolina State University – a leading center of pain research in companion animals – with a validated, reliable and objective measurement of pain that will be extensively evaluated in dogs with osteoarthritis.
Kristin Bloink, Vice President of Research from Elanco said: “Our business is based on delivering innovative animal health solutions, so we are very pleased to be able to support the development of this novel measurement while supporting the promising animal health start-up community. This new technology is expected to enable users to more accurately assess when a pet is experiencing pain, potentially before the pet shows obvious signs, and further facilitates our goal of continuously improving animal health.”
AniV8 was co-founded by Dr. B Duncan X Lascelles, a leading authority on canine and feline pain at North Carolina State University, Stonehaven Incubate and Sports Performance Tracking (SPT); all leaders in their respective fields. The company expects its initial device to be available commercially in the first half of 2022.
“This is a true transformation in the industry,” said Dr. Lascelles. “We have taken an innovative approach to measuring the impact of musculoskeletal pain that is agnostic to species, size, shape, age and lifestyle characteristics. Importantly, we believe our device will be a reliable and accurate endpoint for clinical trials, diagnosis and treatment efficacy. The technology can also be deployed in clinical practice to assess the effectiveness of ongoing therapies.”
Mark Heffernan, CEO of Stonehaven Incubate, explains: “This is a significant achievement for one of our portfolio companies. It validates the Stonehaven Incubate model to establish high-quality animal focused start-ups.”
