Pelara starts U.S. veterinary trials for focused ultrasound pain therapy

Pelara has begun its first U.S. clinical trials with Openwater and SecureDX to test low-intensity focused ultrasound for chronic pain in dogs, cats and horses. The program aims to generate species-specific evidence for a noninvasive alternative to drug-heavy and often invasive pain treatments in veterinary care. Why it matters: - Chronic pain is common in companion animals and remains undertreated in routine veterinary care. - Pelara is aiming to offer a noninvasive option that could reduce reliance on NSAIDs, gabapentinoids and opioids, which can carry gastrointestinal, liver and kidney risks. - The trials target a market Pelara describes as more than $2 billion globally. What happened: - Pelara Inc. announced the launch of its first U.S. veterinary clinical trials on June 11, 2026. - The trials are being run with Openwater and SecureDX. - The initial focus is chronic pain management in dogs, cats and horses. - Pelara says the studies will generate the species-specific evidence needed to move low-intensity focused ultrasound, or LIFU, into U.S. veterinary practices. The details: - Published estimates cited by Pelara suggest 20% to 35% of dogs seen in primary care show clinically significant chronic pain. - Osteoarthritis affects about 20% of dogs older than 1 year and up to 80% of dogs older than 8. - Current standard treatments can lose effectiveness over time and may create systemic side effects. - Pelara’s LIFU program uses focused neuromodulation and localized musculoskeletal therapy without systemic drug exposure. - LIFU is designed to deliver targeted, non-invasive therapy without surgery, sedation or thermal effects. - Unlike high-intensity focused ultrasound, which destroys tissue through heat, LIFU operates below the threshold for thermal damage. - Openwater CEO Aaron Timm said the veterinary market is high-need and underserved, and called the partnership a way to turn precision medicine into practice. - Pelara CEO Justin Jones said the technology is intended to provide a solution that treats pain through targeted neuromodulation and localized musculoskeletal therapy rather than symptom-masking medications. Between the lines: - Pelara is trying to prove that LIFU can bridge a gap between drug therapy and invasive procedures. - Existing device options such as radiofrequency ablation and surgical nerve blocks can be invasive and often require sedation. - Less invasive tools such as therapeutic laser may avoid sedation but can lack the depth and targeting precision needed for many chronic pain cases. - The company is positioning evidence generation as the key step before routine adoption in veterinary medicine. What’s next: - Pelara’s trials will build the clinical data needed to support broader deployment across U.S. veterinary practices. - The company plans to use the results to advance commercial use of LIFU in companion animal care. - Openwater’s platform is already in active use at research institutions worldwide, which could help support additional studies across therapeutic indications. The bottom line: - Pelara is betting that a noninvasive ultrasound-based therapy can fill a major gap in veterinary pain care if the early clinical evidence holds up.