# Biotech Firms Expand Into Pet Cloning and Cryonics Markets

New longevity treatments and preservation services emerge as biotech targets the pet industry.

- **Source:** [The Next Web](https://brifing.si/source/afe24b20-b275-4c19-b9a6-8bb3c8babae7)
- **Published:** 2026-10-18
- **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business)
- **Original article:** <https://thenextweb.com/news/pet-biotech-longevity-cloning-cryonics>
- **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/299b9844-9764-4402-8000-9554a67e7bbc

## Emerging Pet Longevity Market

Biotech companies are expanding services for pet owners, offering everything from longevity drugs to cryonics. Startups like Loyal are currently developing pharmaceuticals aimed at extending canine lifespans. These developments represent a shift in veterinary medicine, moving beyond traditional care toward proactive biological intervention for aging animals and their owners.

## Pharmaceutical Testing Progress

Loyal is currently testing its LOY-002 drug on approximately 1,300 senior dogs across the United States. In January, regulators accepted the company's safety data, marking a significant milestone in the approval process. The firm anticipates applying for conditional approval by 2027, targeting age-related health issues like obesity and arthritis.

## The Economics of Cloning

Texas-based Viagen Pets offers cloning services at a price point of $50,000 per animal. The process involves extracting DNA from the pet and implanting it into a surrogate egg. It is critical to note that the resulting animal is a genetic twin, lacking the original pet's specific personality or memories.

## Psychological Impact of Services

Lori Kogan, a professor at Colorado State University, notes that pet owners often experience grief that society fails to recognize. She suggests that if cloning provides emotional closure, external judgment may be misplaced. However, critics worry these services might distort a child's understanding of the finality of death and loss.

## Cryonics and Revival Hopes

Companies like Arizona-based Alcor provide cryonics services, freezing deceased pets with the hope of future revival. The facility currently stores hundreds of subjects, including its first sugar glider. Despite these efforts, experts maintain that the scientific possibility of reviving these animals remains highly unlikely given current technological and biological limitations.

## Broader Biotech Industry Trends

The push against aging is not confined to the veterinary sector. Startups such as HexemBio are actively raising capital to develop rejuvenation therapies for human patients. This trend highlights a growing commercial interest in longevity science, leveraging similar biological mechanisms to address aging processes across both human and animal populations.

## Regulatory and Ethical Hurdles

While the biotech sector advances, regulatory frameworks remain stringent. Loyal's progress with LOY-002 serves as a primary example of the rigorous safety data requirements needed for market entry. These hurdles ensure that longevity claims are scrutinized, though the ethical implications of cryonics and cloning remain largely outside of formal regulatory oversight.

## Future Market Implications

The commercialization of pet longevity services reflects a unique intersection of emotional consumer demand and advanced biotechnology. As these services become more accessible, the industry will likely face increased scrutiny regarding the efficacy of revival claims and the ethics of genetic replication. Investors and pet owners must navigate these unproven scientific frontiers.

## Sources covering this story

- https://thenextweb.com/news/pet-biotech-longevity-cloning-cryonics — 

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_Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._
