Getting a puppy is an exciting time for a pet parent. Usually, people are excited to live in the moment with a new member of the family. Just like with a human baby, however, you need to take the future into consideration. For pet parents, that means checkups, pet insurance, and getting the little one spayed or neutered. A new service from Gallant, an animal biotech company on a mission to help pets live healthier and happier lives, offers an additional consideration — stem cell banking for your pet.
Gallant’s stem cell banking service launched just a few weeks ago, but it’s already creating some major buzz. The company has acquired the veterinary division of Cook Regentec. The acquisition includes its intellectual property, existing stem cell banking operations, and pipeline of cell therapy products derived from reproductive tissue. Its patent-pending process allows stem cells to be collected at the time of a standard spay or neuter procedure, which is great news for pet parents who don’t want to put their fur babies through any further invasive procedures.
It’s exciting for a pet owner to welcome a new puppy or kitten. Now, thanks to Gallant, you can make plans for your new pet’s future while you’re taking care of the standard medical appointments early in a puppy's or kitten’s life.
Gallant is an animal biotech company with a mission to help pets live healthier and happier lives. The company is giving pet parents the opportunity to collect and bank stem cells from pets during their regular spaying/neutering procedure.
Gallant is doing something major with this innovation. It collects young stem cells, which would otherwise be thrown away, and cryopreserves them to create life-changing treatments for future ailments. It is the first and only noninvasive animal stem cell collection method available today.
Since the stem cells are collected during the spay/neuter procedure, they are young and healthy in comparison to the stem cells a vet might collect from a dog later in life to deal with any ailments that arise.
Treatment therapies are sent to the veterinarian on demand, at a cost of approximately $300 plus procedure fee. That’s 80% to 90% less than comparable treatments for ailments such as osteoarthritis, atopic dermatitis, torn ligaments, and chronic dry eye.
If you’re interested in checking out the collection option for your own pet, you can order a kit at Gallant.com. The kit is shipped to your vet. The procedure fee costs $395, and storage plan options include a lifetime fee of $595. You can also opt for an annual fee of $95.
In celebration of its nationwide launch and to make its services available to as many pet parents as possible, Gallant is waiving the procedure fee and saving new pet owners $395. Those savings go a long way when you're getting everything you need for a new pet.
Gallant was founded by DogVacay founder Aaron Hirschhorn, who is now Gallant's CEO. DogVacay eventually merged with Rover's pet-sitting platform. Aaron's idea for stem cell banking came from his own experiences.
“I struggled with debilitating chronic back pain for more than a decade, leaving me incapable of doing activities I loved, until regenerative medicine successfully cured my condition,” Aaron explained. “At the same time, I watched my dog Rocky suffer from arthritis so painful that she couldn’t walk.”
“I knew there had to be a better way to treat and heal our pets, which sparked the beginning of Gallant,” he continued. “We are on a mission to keep our pets happier and healthier through the power of regenerative medicine.”
Gallant also wants to be at the forefront of developing biotechnologies and other treatments. It has committed to spending millions on R&D to pursue both autologous therapies, which use a dog’s own stem cells, and allogeneic therapies, which any dog can use, at a fraction of the cost of currently available therapies.
To that end, the company has partnered with investors who share that vision. Together, they are committed to investing heavily in research and development, clinical studies to advance treatments, and education campaigns on the power of stem cell therapy.
“In my experience with clinical trials and evaluating dogs with debilitating arthritis, I’ve seen first hand how cell therapy can change lives,” said Dr. Linda Black, chief scientific officer at Gallant. “I’m committed to developing therapies that dramatically improve the quality of life for dogs.”
Gallant could be the beginning of seeing biotherapies become a more common treatment in the more than 1 million pets who are spayed or neutered each month. With the American Pet Products Association estimating that pet owners will spend $18.9 billion on vet care in 2019, these regenerative medicine options can save pet parents a pretty penny while helping them take the best care of their animals throughout their lives.
