Odacova Health Unveils Nine-Year Canine Longevity Study at ALOS 2026, Charting a New Path to Extend Pet Healthspan

Backed by the former NIH scientists who pioneered calorie restriction mimetics, Odacova seeks to bridge the gap between longevity biology and everyday pet nutrition. 

TORONTO, Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Odacova Health, an evidence-led bionutrition platform company, today unveiled findings from a nine-year canine research program, presented publicly by Co-Founder & CSO Dr. Ajay Srivastava at the Animal Longevity Summit (ALOS) 2026 in Oakville, Ontario. The session, "Beyond Single Endpoints," laid out molecular, metabolic, and functional evidence for MHCR-1 — the company's lead bioactive — alongside the safety research program supporting it.

The presentation marked Odacova's most substantive public disclosure to date, building on the company's stealth-exit announcement ahead of the conference, and outlining a platform the company could contribute to a more evidence-led approach to companion animal aging and healthspan. 

A Proven Idea, Reimagined for Pets

Translating calorie restriction (CR) biology into everyday consumer use remains practically impossible because it requires sustained, severe reductions in calorie intake. MHCR-1 is Odacova's answer to that translation problem: a botanical-derived bioactive designed to translate the biology of calorie restriction into a practical healthy-aging platform without requiring a dog to eat less. The scientific foundation of MHCR-1 was developed with Dr. Donald Ingram and Dr. George Roth, the former National Institute on Aging (NIA) scientists who co-originated the CR-mimetic field in 1998, and who serve as Odacova's founding scientific advisors. 

Key Findings Presented at ALOS

Dr. Srivastava presented findings spanning molecular, metabolic, functional and safety measures from the long-term canine program and supporting studies: 

• Gene-expression findings across dogs and mice: In dogs, MHCR-1 shifted selected age-associated gene-expression patterns toward profiles observed in younger reference animals. In a separate mouse model of diet-induced obesity, MHCR-1 shifted selected obesity-associated expression patterns toward lean reference profiles, providing cross-species evidence of the bioactive's influence on metabolic health. 
• Metabolic aging: Dogs receiving MHCR-1 showed a statistically significant difference in the age-related trajectory of fasting glucose compared with control animals, a direct, multi-year attenuation of a key metabolic aging marker.
• Muscle function over time: Age-adjusted analysis revealed significantly higher cumulative muscle power in MHCR-1-treated dogs across multiple years of testing, supported by favorable trends in real-world activities of daily living. 
• A dedicated safety program: The program included longitudinal safety observations, together with a separate target-animal safety study and pharmacokinetic characterization.

Odacova has filed provisional patent applications covering aspects of the MHCR-1 platform, continuing to expand its intellectual property portfolio as commercial product development progresses.  

Building A Longevity Ingredient Platform for Pet Health

Odacova is advancing MHCR-1 as a platform with potential applications across companion animal nutrition and animal health. The company is selectively engaging with strategic organizations that have the scientific, development and commercial capabilities to realize the platform's broader potential. 

Quotes

Cindy Tsang, Co-Founder & CEO, Odacova Health: "Pet longevity should not be defined by promises, isolated biomarkers or what might happen years from now. It should be defined by evidence generated over time and across the interconnected biological systems that shape aging. That is the standard Odacova is working to establish with MHCR-1. We are not entering this category to follow the benchmark, we are working to set a new one for evidence-led pet longevity."

Dr. Donald Ingram, Founding Scientific Advisor, Odacova Health: "I've spent thirty years studying calorie restriction, and the single biggest obstacle was never proving that it works — it was making it usable. A multi-year canine program provides an important opportunity to examine whether aspects of calorie-restriction biology can be approached in a practical and scientifically responsible way."

Dr. George Roth, Founding Scientific Advisor, Odacova Health: "The calorie restriction mimetic concept was developed to explore whether aspects of restriction biology could be reproduced without requiring restriction itself. Odacova's canine research program represents an ambitious effort to examine that concept in a companion-animal setting. "

About Odacova Health

Odacova Health is an evidence-led bionutrition platform company operating at the intersection of biotech-grade science and pet health. Its lead botanical-derived bioactive, MHCR-1, is supported by a multi-year canine research program spanning metabolic, functional, molecular and safety measures. Odacova's founding scientific advisors, Dr. Donald Ingram and Dr. George Roth, co-originated the calorie restriction mimetic field at the NIH National Institute on Aging in 1998. Odacova is evaluating development and commercialization pathways with selected strategic organizations in companion animal health and nutrition. 

Media Contact
Morgan Halme Head of Marketing, Odacova Health, Inc.
3104884293
[email protected]
www.odacovahealth.com

SOURCE Odacova Health, Inc.