Lab4Paws is a commercial in-vitro contract research organization (CRO) that helps pet food and supplement brands validate product efficacy using species-specific, cell-based testing — before or instead of costly and ethically complex in vivo trials.

Founded by Davide Confalonieri, PhD, Lab4Paws was built to close a gap in the pet nutrition industry: most functional claims (joint support, immune modulation, gut and skin health, healthy aging) are backed by human or rodent data, ingredient-level literature, or no data at all — not by evidence generated on the species the product is actually formulated for. Lab4Paws runs assays directly on canine and feline cells, giving brands, formulators, and CDMOs efficacy data that is scientifically defensible and directly relevant to the animals their products are sold for.

Core services include cell-based efficacy studies designed around a client's specific claim and mechanism of action — for example, testing an anti-inflammatory ingredient on canine chondrocytes, or a gut-health formulation on feline intestinal cell models. Studies are scoped per project, from single-assay screens to multi-endpoint efficacy panels, and are designed to produce data suitable for marketing substantiation, regulatory dossiers, or R&D decision-making.

Alongside contract studies, Lab4Paws supplies biological products to external researchers and labs, including species-specific PBMCs (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) and porcine collagen, sourced and processed under controlled, ethical protocols in collaboration with veterinary partners.

Lab4Paws is a brand of Sellomics GmbH, based in Nuremberg, Germany, and works with pet food, supplement, and life sciences companies across Europe and internationally who need in-vitro validation for companion-animal product claims.