Allerca
Encyclopedia
Lifestyle Pets, formerly Allerca, is a Delaware
-based biotechnology
company that claims to have bred hypoallergenic cat
s through a selective breeding
process. The company was originally incorporated in California.
According to company literature, the company's cats
have significantly reduced levels of a particular protein that human
s suffer allergic reactions to. The journal Nature
reported in September, 2006 that in an Allerca-funded study, Sheldon Spector, a clinical allergy
expert at the University of California, Los Angeles
, found the company's cats to be less allergy-inducing than the control. However, neither the study nor its underlying data have been published, and Spector himself advises caution as regards his study's interpretation as he used an experimental setup that is generally regarded as less than reliable. A July 2006 article in the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that no details about the cats have been released, nor have there been any peer-reviewed studies published about the company's work. Cat experts also questioned whether the company's breeding model - stated at the time to be up to 10,000 cats by 2009 - was viable. Time
named the company's cats among its list of Best Inventions for 2006. Allerca refuses to provide its kittens to clients whose allergy test results "indicate a level that includes HIGH". A cat based on the Domestic shorthair cost US$6950 while ones based on the Siamese
and Ashera
cost $16 900 and $37 000 respectively.
In February 2006, Allerca was evicted from its San Diego headquarters, an address that doubled as the founder Simon Brodie's home. Brodie's previous businesses have "left behind unhappy clients, unpaid employees, debts, lawsuits, court judgments and liens...." The company Transgenic Pets sued Allerca and Brodie for theft of trade secrets and business plans. Allerca settled. The settlement agreed that Allerca would not re-enter the genetically engineered allergen free cat market until May 31, 2006.
For a while, Allerca offered a franchising program, possibly in violation of California law. Reports from Allerca indicate that they accepted at least partial payment from potential franchisees.
The company has announced that on January 1, 2010 they will cease their breeding activities.
. Allerca (and earlier, Geneticas) scientists tried to delete or disable the gene. The company now says it has "discovered" a breed of cats that had a mutant version of the protein that did not induce an allergic response. Since a number of Fel d 1 allele
s are known and documented whereas it is presently impossible to deduce allergenicity from their DNA or protein sequence alone, the alleged mutant cats could in fact exist, but their hypoallergenicity cannot be considered proven for the time being.
". This has given rise to at least one web site complaining that the product has not been provided as promised. A report page has been opened at the Better Business Bureau of Wilmington, Delaware. It shows the current rating as "Unsatisfactory.". Reports of customers receiving their Allerca GD kitten are sporadic, but they can be found on the web.
A Warren, NJ man filed suit against Allerca for return of $7900 he paid in September 2007 for a hypoallergenic cat. Delivery was initially promised in eight months, but after repeated delays of the promised delivery date through 2008 and 2009, and a statement in March 2009 that the delivery scheduled had been affected by "decreased kitten production," the customer requested return of his money.
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
-based biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
company that claims to have bred hypoallergenic cat
Hypoallergenic cat
Cat Allergy in humans is an allergic reaction to one or more of the five known allergens produced by cats. The most common of these are the glycoprotein Fel d 1, secreted by the cat's sebaceous glands and Fel d 4, which is expressed in saliva...
s through a selective breeding
Selective breeding
Selective breeding is the process of breeding plants and animals for particular genetic traits. Typically, strains that are selectively bred are domesticated, and the breeding is sometimes done by a professional breeder. Bred animals are known as breeds, while bred plants are known as varieties,...
process. The company was originally incorporated in California.
According to company literature, the company's cats
Ashera
The Ashera is a hybrid cat marketed by Lifestyle Pets. The cat is an alleged domestic/wild hybrid cat, a hybrid between the African serval, the Asian leopard cat, and a domestic housecat...
have significantly reduced levels of a particular protein that human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s suffer allergic reactions to. The journal Nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
reported in September, 2006 that in an Allerca-funded study, Sheldon Spector, a clinical allergy
Allergy
An Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid...
expert at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, found the company's cats to be less allergy-inducing than the control. However, neither the study nor its underlying data have been published, and Spector himself advises caution as regards his study's interpretation as he used an experimental setup that is generally regarded as less than reliable. A July 2006 article in the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that no details about the cats have been released, nor have there been any peer-reviewed studies published about the company's work. Cat experts also questioned whether the company's breeding model - stated at the time to be up to 10,000 cats by 2009 - was viable. Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
named the company's cats among its list of Best Inventions for 2006. Allerca refuses to provide its kittens to clients whose allergy test results "indicate a level that includes HIGH". A cat based on the Domestic shorthair cost US$6950 while ones based on the Siamese
Siamese (cat)
The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Oriental cat. The origins of the breed are unknown, but it is believed to be from Thailand. In Thailand, where they are one of several native breeds, they are called Wichian Mat...
and Ashera
Ashera
The Ashera is a hybrid cat marketed by Lifestyle Pets. The cat is an alleged domestic/wild hybrid cat, a hybrid between the African serval, the Asian leopard cat, and a domestic housecat...
cost $16 900 and $37 000 respectively.
In February 2006, Allerca was evicted from its San Diego headquarters, an address that doubled as the founder Simon Brodie's home. Brodie's previous businesses have "left behind unhappy clients, unpaid employees, debts, lawsuits, court judgments and liens...." The company Transgenic Pets sued Allerca and Brodie for theft of trade secrets and business plans. Allerca settled. The settlement agreed that Allerca would not re-enter the genetically engineered allergen free cat market until May 31, 2006.
For a while, Allerca offered a franchising program, possibly in violation of California law. Reports from Allerca indicate that they accepted at least partial payment from potential franchisees.
The company has announced that on January 1, 2010 they will cease their breeding activities.
Fel d 1
Most human cat allergies are caused by Fel d 1Fel d 1
Fel d 1 is a protein that in cats is encoded by the CH1 and CH2 genes.Fel d 1, produced largely by cat saliva and sebaceous glands, is the primary allergen present on cats. The protein is of an unknown function to the animal but causes an IgG or IgE reaction in sensitive humans...
. Allerca (and earlier, Geneticas) scientists tried to delete or disable the gene. The company now says it has "discovered" a breed of cats that had a mutant version of the protein that did not induce an allergic response. Since a number of Fel d 1 allele
Allele
An allele is one of two or more forms of a gene or a genetic locus . "Allel" is an abbreviation of allelomorph. Sometimes, different alleles can result in different observable phenotypic traits, such as different pigmentation...
s are known and documented whereas it is presently impossible to deduce allergenicity from their DNA or protein sequence alone, the alleged mutant cats could in fact exist, but their hypoallergenicity cannot be considered proven for the time being.
Controversy
Discussions on forums and blogs continue to debate the status of this company and whether its product is "vaporwareVaporware
Vaporware is a term in the computer industry that describes a product, typically computer hardware or software, that is announced to the general public but is never actually released nor officially canceled. Vaporware is also a term sometimes used to describe events that are announced or predicted,...
". This has given rise to at least one web site complaining that the product has not been provided as promised. A report page has been opened at the Better Business Bureau of Wilmington, Delaware. It shows the current rating as "Unsatisfactory.". Reports of customers receiving their Allerca GD kitten are sporadic, but they can be found on the web.
A Warren, NJ man filed suit against Allerca for return of $7900 he paid in September 2007 for a hypoallergenic cat. Delivery was initially promised in eight months, but after repeated delays of the promised delivery date through 2008 and 2009, and a statement in March 2009 that the delivery scheduled had been affected by "decreased kitten production," the customer requested return of his money.
Ashera cats
Lifestyle Pets also markets a hybrid cat under the name "Ashera." Several of the cats sold under the Ashera name were actually of the Savannah cat breed.External links
- http://www.lifestylepets.com/ - Official site
- http://www.allerca.com - Older official site
- Allergen-free cats – a breed apart (New Scientist)
- Finally, you can enjoy the purr without a sneeze (International Herald Tribune)
- Franchised felines? Allerca's plans to sell hypoallergenic animals, new breed, met with skepticism (San Diego Union-Tribune)
- 'Designer pet' founder guilty in British scheme (San Diego Union-Tribune)
- Allerca must stop franchises in [California
(San Diego Union-Tribune)] - What the data say (The Scientist)
- Bred to be furry and allergy-free