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The FDA’s new Animal and Veterinary Innovation Centers

This week in the U.S., the FDA announced the establishment of four Animal and Veterinary Innovation Centers (AVICs), which will receive funding to “advance regulatory science and further development of innovative products and approaches to better support animal health and veterinary interventions.”

The four locations at UW-Madison, UC Davis, Kansas State, and University of Arkansas will each focus on the program’s core priorities:

• Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and emerging zoonotic disease threats or One Health issues; 

• Intentional genomic alterations (IGAs) in animals and the advancement of regulatory science in this field

• Unmet veterinary medical needs in both minor and major species that create a significant animal or public health burden.  

These AVICs are one step towards fulfilling the goals of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine agenda published in September 2023, which details their plans to spur innovation to better protect human and animal health.

As part of this agenda, the FDA also announced this week that they will be performing a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) for the veterinary industry.

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Pet Startup Funding Down

Crunchbase, a website dedicated to reporting on companies and their funding, ranging from early stage startups to large enterprises, has collected data on pet startups. Despite the global pet care market being projected to grow from $320 billion in 2023 to nearly $500 billion by 2030, investment in pet-related startups has decreased significantly.

So far in 2024, only about $500 million has been invested in roughly 50 startups, marking the lowest investment since 2019. The pet startup space peaked in 2021 with investment of over $2 billion in nearly 200 funding rounds. This year’s funding to date is on track to bring in just over a quarter (25%) of this.

However, some companies have still managed to secure substantial funding. For instance, Loyal, which develops medicines to extend dogs’ healthy lifespans, raised $40 million in a Series B round. Similarly, Sploot Veterinary Care, offering primary and urgent care for pets, also raised $40 million.

Overall, the decrease in funding is part of a broader trend where venture capital is shifting focus into areas like artificial intelligence, biotechnology and cybersecurity.

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The Reading Room

Last week in The Reading Room, we looked at an example of a small intestinal foreign body in a dog and discussed findings pointing us to mechanical obstruction and how to distinguish this from a GDV. Check out the full case breakdown here:

This week, we are diving deeper into foreign bodies. Here, a two year old poodle cross presents for anorexia and regurgitation. Radiographs identify a short, thin, linear metal opacity in the abdomen.

Our question for you, where is the foreign body?

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Quick Hits

Here are some of the other stories that caught our eye and we're following this week from around the veterinary world and animal kingdom: