8 Aug 2026
Trials will assess effectiveness of low-intensity focused ultrasound as a chronic pain management tool in dogs, cats and horses.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Mandy Moody, director of clinical research at Pelara and SecureDX.
An animal health therapeutics company has announced the launch of its first clinical trials to bring low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) to the commercial veterinary market.
Texas-based Pelara has partnered with medical technology company Openwater and animal health diagnostics experts SecureDX to launch the trials.
The trials are intended to generate species-specific clinical evidence on the potential for LIFU as a non-invasive, non-drug tool for chronic pain management in dogs, followed by cats and horses.
The technology is said to use precisely targeted acoustic energy to modulate pain pathways at the neural level, without invasive procedures, thermal effects, sedation or systemic drug exposure.
Whereas high-intensity focused ultrasound heats and destroys targeted tissues, LIFU is said to operate “well below” the thermal damage threshold and therefore be well-suited for repeated therapeutic use in companion animals.
Pelara said its clinical trial programme is designed to generate the evidence required for LIFU to be incorporated into routine veterinary practice.
Openwater chief executive Aaron Timm said: “The veterinary market is a high-need, underserved space where LIFU can deliver meaningful impact.
“Every animal that finds relief is proof that precision medicine can be accessible to the patients who need it most.
“We’re proud to advance this work with Pelara, whose veterinary expertise and commercial discipline can turn that potential into practice. SecureDX brings the diagnostic and data infrastructure to do it rigorously.”
Mandy Moody, director of clinical research at Pelara and SecureDX, told the Vet Times Podcast: “The benefit is that it is non-invasive and that you can use it when you need it, and it targets the specific spot that you need without having to do anything systemic.”
Dr Moody added: “I want veterinarians to have another tool in their toolbox to take care of animals, because there is nothing that we do that’s good for all of them…
“I think it’s always good to have another modality, and sometimes you can use a combination. You might have dogs that you can give less medication to if you’re also using this, that sort of thing. But over time, I think that it could be a really, really valuable tool for us.”
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