Enhanced Canine Performance, Protection and Survivability

Multi-Purpose Canines (MPCs) are an integral aspect of the US military. The continued expansion and use of these indispensable force multipliers in an intense, ever-changing and complex battlefield requires enhancing their innate capabilities in a timely manner. Additionally, canines have a relatively short life span, and considering the substantial training period that MPCs must undergo, their effective working time is even more limited. Rejuvenate Bio has developed three gene therapies that can increase the stress-resistance, health and lifespan of mice as well as mitigate three different age-related diseases (heart failure, diabetes and obesity). We believe that these therapies will also enhance performance due to their modulations of stress responses and metabolic energy pathways. As a first step toward developing therapies in canines, we propose to measure the effect of these gene therapies on endurance, speed of recovery, and heat tolerance using treadmill experiments in mice. Completion of this Phase I study will enable us to begin Phase II testing of these therapies ability to enhance canine performance. By overcoming the inherent delays and scaling issues of traditional breeding programs, gene therapies will enable the rapid distribution of performance enhancements to current and future MPCs.