World's first hypoallergenic cat

Look at the pictures above and (way) below: what do you see?

I see the world's first allergen-free kitties.

But they don't come cheap.

Long story short: when the first kittens are delivered next year, sensitive cat people will have paid up to $12,700 for the chance to finally have a kitty that won't make them sick.

That's nothing to sneeze at.

Penni Crabtree of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote about them for a June 8 story, which follows.

Allerca promises sneeze-free cats

Pre-purchase costs $3,500, takes years

A San Diego company said yesterday that it had created the world's first cat that is free of the allergy-causing proteins that afflict many feline lovers.

Allerca, a self-styled "lifestyle" pet company headquartered in San Diego, claims to have produced the world's first hypoallergenic cats.

If true, the feat by privately held Allerca is a new but low-tech twist on using genomic tools to create so-called "designer" pets, which in recent years have included cloned cats and dogs and genetically engineered fish that glow.

The sneeze-free kitties will come at a price guaranteed to make a pet lover's eyes water. Customers must fork out $3,500 to "pre-purchase" a 12-week kitten that could take two or more years to actually be delivered. And for an extra $1,950, potential pet owners can be bumped to the front of the list for delivery of a kitten in 2007.

"We are thrilled and excited about this scientific breakthrough," Allerca chief executive Megan Young said. "For the first time, people who have been unable to own a cat because of their allergies can now enjoy a pet of their own without the associated risks and costs of allergy treatments."

In October 2004, the company, then in Los Angeles, made national headlines when it announced that it intended to create genetically modified allergen-free cats by using RNA interference to "silence" the gene in cats that produces the irritant.

Two years later, Allerca isn't claiming to have created true transgenic animals – no DNA was inserted or genes modified to make them less allergenic.

Instead, the company devised a genetic test to screen the genes of cats for "genetic divergences" in the Fel D1 gene, which is responsible for the allergy-producing protein that is secreted by a cat's glands. Allerca then bred the divergent cats to produce allergy-free offspring, Young said.

Little is known about Allerca or the validity of its claims, and the company was secretive yesterday about its science and its management. Allerca CEO Young declined to say where she had worked before Allerca, to disclose how many employees the company has or where it is located, or to name any scientists associated with the cat project.

In 2004, two months after Allerca made its initial media splash with an announcement that it would create genetically modified, allergen-free cats, the company was sued in federal court by New York-based Transgenic Pets.

Transgenic alleged that Los Angeles businessman Simon Brodie, owner of Geneticas Life Sciences, usurped Transgenic's business and marketing plan, trade secrets and technology, which were used to form Allerca.

According to the lawsuit, Transgenic's owner, Dr. David Avner, had agreed to create a company called Allerca with Brodie, and Brodie's company, Geneticas, was to invest an initial $2.5 million in the venture.

Instead, Brodie backed out on the deal and formed Allerca on his own, using Transgenic Pets' business plan, according to the lawsuit. Brodie also contacted Transgenic's cat supplier and the research laboratory that had a deal with Transgenic to develop and produce the cats, according to the lawsuit.

Allerca began accepting $350 deposits for the yet-to-be produced transgenic cats, which at the time the company claimed it would sell for $3,000 to $10,000.

In February 2005, Allerca and Brodie settled with Transgenic. Allerca agreed to shut down its Web site and not to re-enter the market for genetically engineered, allergen-free cats until after May 31, 2006.

Brodie and Geneticas have been involved with other companies with unusual business plans. Among the Geneticas-affiliated companies is ForeverPet, a cloning research and development company.

ForeverPet, according to marketing materials found on the Internet, also stores pets' genetic material so "ForeverPet clients can fulfill their dream of reuniting with their lost family friend."

Another firm, Genetiate, proposed to create a fluorescent deer by implanting the gene of a special jellyfish. The project, dubbed the NightSave Deer, aimed to reduce the number of night time deer/auto collisions, saving the lives of both deer and people.

Young yesterday was vague about the status of Brodie's other companies. She said that Geneticas Life Sciences was "no more," and that other companies previously affiliated with it have "split up and gone on to other things."

Brodie, who is chairman and founder of Allerca, was not available for comment, she said.

Asked why potential Allerca cat owners are required to pay now for animals that they might not get for up to two years, Young said the company wants "a solid commitment from customers" because the animals can't be "shelved" once they are bred.

Young said the company is now building up its "breeding pool" of cats and ensuring the allergen-free genetic code is passed from generation to generation.

Allerca expects to produce 400 to 500 kittens in 2007, and to build that number to 5,000 by 2008, she said.

Young said the company plans soon to publish a scientific paper on its research.

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Jeff Hecht, writing in NewScientist.com on June 9, wasn't as sanguine about the prospects of these cats being truly non-allergenic.

His article follows.

Allergen-free cats — a breed apart

A California company has turned to conventional breeding to deliver the non-allergenic kittens it promised two years ago. But allergists warn the new cats may still be something to sneeze at.

In 2004, Allerca, then based in Los Angeles, announced plans to genetically engineer cats so they would not produce the most common cat allergen, a protein called FEL D1 (See Doubts over plan for allergen-free cats). Now based in San Diego, Allerca has abandoned genetic engineering to focus on selectively breeding cats that lack the version of the FEL D1 protein that triggers allergic reactions.

A spokeswoman says the company will deliver the first 400 to 500 "GD" (for genetically divergent) kittens in 2007.

Allergists consider the approach scientifically plausible. "It's been known for a long time that some cats are very low allergen producers", producing just one-thousandth the FEL D1 of a normal cat, says Robert Wood, director of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, US.

Allerca says that is because those cats lack the gene to produce the allergenic form of FEL D1, and instead produces a different, non-allergenic protein. They genetically screened cats to identify low-FEL D1 animals for a breeding population.

In a statement, Allerca says "individuals with known feline allergies were fully exposed to the Allerca GD cats without demonstrating any allergic reactions", but that the same people suffered swollen eyes, asthmatic symptoms, and hives when later exposed to ordinary cats.

Cats are among the most common pets but also among the most widely blamed for allergic reactions because FEL D1 is the most potent pet allergen. Specific to cats, FEL D1 is found in fur, saliva, urine, and skin glands. Worse, it sticks to furniture, carpets and clothing, triggering allergies even when the cat is absent. Allergists typically tell people with severe asthma or allergies to get rid of cats to ease their symptoms.

But some still want pets. Allerca reports a two-year backlog of orders, with US residents paying $3950, and residents of other countries paying €4950 to €9950 ($6300 to $12,700, respectively). Kittens are to be shipped at 12 weeks old. "It's plausible that some people could benefit – if they have $4000 for a cat," Wood says.

The original breeding stock was based on the Shorthair breed, but Allerca says the current stock is closest to the Ragamuffin breed.

But allergies are tricky, and specialists are cautious about the prospects. "This approach is scientifically valid, but that doesn't mean it's going to work," says Norman Edelman, chief medical officer of the American Lung Association.

Although FEL D1 is the dominant cat allergen, Wood told New Scientist that about 10% of people with cat allergies react to cat albumin, a protein released in increasing amounts in the urine as the cat ages.



Another concern is that allergic reactions are notoriously sensitive and can vary widely. Wood has found that reducing allergen exposure by 75% does not reduce symptoms in sensitive people. "Individual sensitivity varies well over a hundred-fold," he says, so breeding "may not reduce FEL D1 enough to protect the most sensitive people."