Celine Halioua, CEO of dog longevity biotech Loyal

Who we're talking about: Celine Halioua, the founder and CEO of Loyal, a dog longevity biotech. Born in Texas to German and Moroccan parents, Halioua studied at Oxford University and later worked as Chief of Staff at Laura Deming's Longevity Fund, a venture capital firm.

And then, in 2019, Halioua struck out on her own: she started Loyal with the goal of developing drugs that extend dog healthspan and lifespan.

And the news is: Over the past few weeks, Loyal has been written up in big articles in The New York Times, Wired, Business Insider, and The Telegraph, thanks to a concentrated media push and the fact that Loyal's dog longevity trial is about to kick off.

Why this is a big deal: If Loyal is successful, it would have the first drug to be approved in any animal species for longevity, as opposed to an age-related disease or condition. As the mainstream media coverage suggests, a positive outcome would likely draw a huge amount of interest into both dog and human longevity, billions of dollars of new investment, and a path to regulatory approval for human longevity drugs.

So what's next? The Loyal dog trial will last four years. Halioua has said that, if the dog trial is successful, she would want to do human trials next.

It's not crazy to believe this could work. Dogs and humans, both large mammals, also share the exact same environment. And approximately 75% of what drives longevity is believed to be environmental, and just 25% genetic.

For now, stay tuned to The Longevity Newsletter. While The New York Times is only catching up now, I first wrote about Loyal and this drug trial back in March. If you want to know what's happening on the leading edge of longevity research, keep reading this newsletter, because I'll be the first to let you know.