About us

Meet the team behind Elita, driven by a shared mission to shift pet care from reactive to preventative, and give every dog more good years.

For the love of a dog, of course

Our story starts with one dog, and ends with helping millions of others.

When we found out our puppy, Edgar Allan Paws, was predisposed to arthritis, we did everything we could to help him avoid it. We moved him to a fresh raw diet, added joint supplements, and focused on regular low-impact exercise. That’s when we discovered stem cell banking, a way to store healthy cells for future treatments.

It felt like the future of pet care, but it didn’t exist here in Australia. With one of us working in stem cell labs and the other in technology, we couldn’t shake the feeling that Australian pet owners deserved the same access to world-class preventive care.

So we built it.

Elita began with Australia’s first stem cell bank for pets, creating a biological foundation for future health. But along the way, we realised how much work it takes to manage your dog’s health properly. It was a full-time job trying to do right by Edgar. We wanted to make that easier, to take the load off owners so they could give their pets the best care possible, without needing to become experts themselves.

That’s when we built Elita Blueprint, a digital platform that brings it all together. It keeps track of what matters, surfaces insights when you need them, and makes proactive care simple.

Elita was born from a deep personal connection, a promise to give our pets more good years by our sides. That’s our promise to Edgar, and to every pet in Australia.

A woman and a man sit on a grey couch with a small golden retriever in their lap

We want every pet to live their best life. So we’ve built the world’s first biologically enabled longevity platform for pets, uniting biology, data, and care to deliver personalised insights that take the guesswork out of preventive health.

Meet more of our team

We’re based in Australia, where you’ll find us in the lab or at Melbourne’s dog parks. Here’s some of our team.

Founding Scientist

Dr Jade Jaffar

Biomedical scientist with expertise spanning translational research, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic development. Jade has built and led multiple human biobanks across Australia and the US, and collaborated with industry leaders like CSL and AdAlta. At Elita, she leads our biological R&D, advancing personalised, preventative, and cell-based veterinary health solutions.

Head Clinical Veterinarian

Dr Jeewantha Wijesignghe

Clinical veterinarian with over 20 years in practice and a PhD in stem cell science. A former lecturer at the University of Melbourne’s Veterinary School, Jeewantha combines extensive surgical and clinical expertise with deep knowledge in biological and preventative medicine, guiding Elita’s veterinary and scientific strategy.

Chief Technical Officer

Jackson Gritching

Our co-founder and CTO, Jackson is a biomedical engineer who loves turning science into real-world impact. With experience across deep tech, biotech, and cell-based innovation (plus a deep love for furry friends), he’s perfectly suited to making personalised, preventative vet medicine accessible to Australian pet owners.

Proud to partner with world-leaders

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Dr Jeewantha Wijesignghe

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Dr Lisia Sturm

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Dr Nicole Su

“I'm supporting Elita by analysing complex biomarker and health data through computational biology and biostatics methodologies. The goal is to empower pet owners so they can better understand and manage their dog’s health. It’s about making longevity insights accessible and actionable.”

Dr Jennifer Boer
Biostatistician, University of Melbourne

“I am working with Elita to investigate the proteins, growth factors and biologicals produced by stem cells. By understanding their therapeutic potential, we can help inform how Elita tailors their approach to different diseases.”

Professor Wojciech Chrzanowski
Nanoparticle Engineer, University of Sydney

“I'm helping Elita deeply characterise stem cells so they know exactly what they're working with. This foundational understanding supports their commitment to delivering robust, personalised treatments for every pet.“

Eva Orlowski-Oliver
Flow Cytometry Specialist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

More questions?

We’re here to help. Speak to one of our team, based in Melbourne.