Lifestyle Pets

Lifestyle Pets, formerly Allerca, is a Delaware-based biotechnology company which claims to have bred hypoallergenic cats 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 humans suffer allergic reactions to. [http://www.ereleases.com/pr/20060914007.html Exposure Trial by Leading Allergist Shows ALLERCA Cat Is Hypoallergenic] Allerca, Sept. 14, 2006] 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 [http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060925/full/060925-5.html Allergy-free pets surprisingly simple] , Nature, Michael Hopkin, Sept. 26, 2006] , 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 [http://www.the-scientist.com/article/home/39383 Felis Enigmaticus] , The Scientist Volume 21(1): Page 32, Kerry Grens.] . 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.Fact|date=June 2007 Time named the company's cats among its list of Best Inventions for 2006. [http://www.time.com/time/2006/techguide/bestinventions/inventions/medicine3.html TIME Best Inventions 2006] ] Allerca is refuses to provide a GD kitten to clients whose allergy test "results indicate a level that includes HIGH". [http://www.haverford.edu/math/lbutler/AllercaSalesEmail.pdf Allerca sales e-mail] ]

In February 2006, Allerca was evicted from its San Diego headquarters, an address that doubled as the founder Simon Brodie's home.cite web
url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060716-9999-1n16allerca.html
title = Questions trail local entrepreneur
date = 2006-07-16
last = Crabtree
first = Penni
work = Sign on San Diego
publisher = San Diego Union-Tribune
language = English
archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.signonsandiego.com%2Fnews%2Fmetro%2F20060716-9999-1n16allerca.html&date=2008-07-30
archivedate = 2008-07-30] Brodie's previous businesses have left "befind 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. [cite web
url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060608/news_1b8cat.html
title = Allerca promises sneeze-free cats
date = 2006-06-08
last = Crabtree
first = Penni
work = Sign on San Diego
publisher = San Diego Union-Tribune
language = English
archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.signonsandiego.com%2Funiontrib%2F20060608%2Fnews_1b8cat.html&date=2008-07-30
archivedate = 2008-07-30]

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.cite web
url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061025/news_1b25allerca.html
title = Franchised felines?
date = 2006-10-25
last = Crabtree
first = Penni
work = Sign on San Diego
publisher = San Diego Union-Tribune
language = English
archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.signonsandiego.com%2Funiontrib%2F20061025%2Fnews_1b25allerca.html&date=2008-07-30
archivedate = 2008-07-30]

Fel d 1

Most human cat allergies are caused by Fel d 1. 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 alleles 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 "vaporware". This has given rise to at least one web site complaining that the product has not been provided as promised.cite web
url = http://www.lifestylepets-ripoff.com/index.html
title = Allerca Lifestyle Pet Rip-Off
date =
last = Mintz
first = Bob
work = Allerca Lifestyle Pet Rip-Off
publisher =
language = English
archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lifestylepets-ripoff.com%2Findex.html&date=2008-08-06
archivedate = 2008-08-06] 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.cite web
url = http://abcnews.go.com/Health/AllergiesNews/Story?id=4582612&page=1
title = Allergy-Free Cats: Fact or Fiction?
date = 2008-04-16
last = Cahoon
first = Lauren
work = Allergy-Free Cats: Fact or Fiction?
publisher = ABC News
language = English
archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5ZsXrSEH4
archivedate = 2008-08-06]

References

External links

* [http://www.allerca.com Official site]
* [http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/dn9313-allergenfree-cats--a-breed-apart.html Allergen-free cats – a breed apart (New Scientist)]
* [http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/10/04/news/cats.php Finally, you can enjoy the purr without a sneeze (International Herald Tribune)]
* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061025/news_1b25allerca.html Franchised felines? Allerca's plans to sell hypoallergenic animals, new breed, met with skepticism (San Diego Union-Tribune)]
* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20061028-9999-1b28brodie.html 'Designer pet' founder guilty in British scheme (San Diego Union-Tribune)]
* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/biotech/20061104-9999-1b4allerca.html Allerca must stop franchises in [California] (San Diego Union-Tribune)]
* [http://www.the-scientist.com/2007/1/1/32/1/ Felis Enigmaticus (The Scientist)]
* [http://www.the-scientist.com/2007/1/1/35/1/ What the data say (The Scientist)]
* [http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2007/07/31/bred_to_be_furry_and_allergy_free/?page=1 Bred to be furry and allergy-free]