Researchers at the University of South Florida are developing a gene therapy for dementia in dogs. The work could one day help humans with Alzheimer’s disease.

Dogs naturally develop cognitive decline as they age, much like people. That makes them better models for the disease than lab mice, which must be genetically engineered to show symptoms.

The project is led by Aurelie Joly at USF Health. It is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Florida High Tech Corridor, and the researchers have co-founded Blue Zone Therapeutics to develop the treatment.

A separate University of Washington study found protein plaques in the brains of 24 ageing dogs, resembling early Alzheimer’s in humans. The findings were published in npj Dementia.

If the therapy works in dogs, human trials could follow. For now, it offers hope to millions of pet owners watching their companions grow old.

Canine cognitive dysfunction affects a large share of dogs over the age of ten. Symptoms include confusion, disrupted sleep and forgetting house training.

Current treatments only manage symptoms. A gene therapy that slows or reverses the disease would be a breakthrough for veterinary medicine.