Who We Are

About the Project

A multidisciplinary initiative at the intersection of veterinary medicine, comparative biology, and the emerging science of longevity.

Our Story

Born from a Simple Question

Why do some animals live longer than expected? And what could we learn from them if we paid closer attention?

That question is the reason Veterinary Longevity exists. Over the past twenty years, longevity science has reshaped how we think about human aging. Very little of that progress has reached the animals in our lives. We still know surprisingly little about why some dogs live to seventeen and others to nine, or why some cats develop kidney disease at six while others never do.

Veterinary Longevity is a project based in Lisbon, Portugal. We want to bring the science of aging closer to everyday veterinary practice, and to make sure that what is learned in research labs actually reaches the clinics where animals are seen.

This is our starting point. Right now we are putting the foundations in place: meeting researchers, talking to veterinarians, and listening to the people who care about this work. If any of that resonates with you, please get in touch.

A 3D illustration of a colorful DNA double helix

Purpose

Mission & Vision

Our Mission

Advancing Longevity Science

To generate, translate, and disseminate the science of animal aging, connecting researchers with clinicians to accelerate discoveries that extend the healthy lifespan of animals everywhere.

Our Vision

A World Where Age Is Just a Number

We envision a future where every animal, regardless of species or breed, has the opportunity to live a full, healthy life, supported by evidence-based veterinary care and ongoing scientific discovery.

Deep Dive

Research Areas

Our work spans four interconnected disciplines, each informing and strengthening the others.

We study the fundamental biology of aging at the molecular, cellular, and organismal level. Our research explores epigenetic clocks in dogs and cats, comparative genomics across long-lived species, senescent cell dynamics, and the role of inflammation in age-related decline. This work provides the foundational science that all other research areas build upon.

Translating research into clinical practice is a core mission. We develop evidence-based longevity assessment tools, continuing education programs for veterinarians, standardized health screening protocols for senior animals, and practice management resources that help clinics build robust preventive medicine programs focused on extending healthspan.

Early detection changes outcomes. We partner with diagnostic labs and biotech companies to validate circulating biomarkers for cancer, kidney disease, cognitive dysfunction, and cardiovascular aging in animals. Our enrolled clinic network allows rapid clinical validation of novel diagnostic tests at a scale previously impossible in veterinary medicine.

Our enrolled clinics contribute anonymized health records, creating one of the largest longitudinal datasets on companion animal aging in the world. We apply machine learning, survival analysis, and causal inference methods to understand what environmental, genetic, and behavioral factors most strongly predict healthy aging, and communicate these findings directly back to clinic partners.