January 15, 2024 – Established in September 2023, the company Felome, winner of Genopole’s Shaker and Gene.iO programs, announces the commercialization of genetic analyses for companion cats starting from February 1st on Ulule, based on a saliva sample collected by their owners and sequenced in a laboratory.
« We created Felome with pet owners in mind, who are concerned about ensuring the good health of their pets. The genetic analysis service we offer is primarily aimed at preventive medicine. Our mastery of Next-Generation Sequencing technology allows us to quickly sequence the animal’s genome and estimate the risk factors for a number of diseases unmatched to date,“ says Laina Freyer, Ph.D. in molecular biology, co-founder, and scientific director of Felome.
Predispositions to over 50 genetic diseases (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, polycystic kidney disease, drug sensitivity, progressive retinal atrophy, etc.) can be detected. Informed of the risk, owners will be able to adopt preventive measures. For example, not subjecting the animal to strenuous efforts in case of presence of the mutated MYBPC3 gene predisposing to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Or, adapting the cat’s diet and performing specific checks with the veterinarian, in case of mutation screening on the PKD1 gene linked to polycystic kidney disease, a condition that develops cysts in the animal’s kidneys.
Felome’s analysis also provides the main physical traits of the animal (morphology, colors, etc.) and its genomic similarity with 14 breeds. Owners will, for example, be able to know if their cat is crossed with a Siberian or if it only appears so, or understand why their cat is striped while the rest of the litter is of a solid color.
By obtaining the precise composition of the coats of both parents (texture, length, patterns, colors), owners will also be able to know the appearance of future kittens
