Finally there’s a use for dog drool: this spring, a new startup called Embark plans to launch a DNA testing kit for dogs that will tell owners about their canine’s ancestry, and disease risk. That’s not all the founders have in mind though; they may be aiming at human diseases by enlisting our longtime best friends.
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For the company’s founders, the real objective will be the research they’ll be able to conduct with the DNA samples; that became clear when I spoke to two of Embark’s founders on the phone last week. They spent the first 10 minutes of the call talking about the potential of dog genetics to deliver advancements in human health. In fact, they were so enthusiastic about their future research that I had to interrupt them to steer the conversation back to the product we were supposed to discuss.
Dogs and humans "suffer from many of the same kinds of conditions," says Ryan Boyko, a computer scientist and one of the company’s co-founders. So, by studying the genetics of diseases in dogs, scientists may be able to figure out how these originate in humans. "This platform, by engaging mass numbers of dog owners, will provide us with data that will enable us to unlock the potential of the dog as a model system," Boyko says. That appears to be the real idea behind Embark. Its founders have figured out that it’s a lot easier to fund research if study participants — or their owners — pay for the privilege of taking part in a study. Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine has already agreed to be an Embark research partner, and the company intends to conduct its own studies, under the guidance of Adam Boyko, Embark's chief science officer, a dog geneticist at Cornell University, and Ryan’s brother.
- More Here and for the record I am interested in companies that will help Dogs rather than help Humans by using Dogs. We Sapiens already have tortured enough moral and sentient living beings in the name of food and scientific research. It's about time we think about helping other species.
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For the company’s founders, the real objective will be the research they’ll be able to conduct with the DNA samples; that became clear when I spoke to two of Embark’s founders on the phone last week. They spent the first 10 minutes of the call talking about the potential of dog genetics to deliver advancements in human health. In fact, they were so enthusiastic about their future research that I had to interrupt them to steer the conversation back to the product we were supposed to discuss.
Dogs and humans "suffer from many of the same kinds of conditions," says Ryan Boyko, a computer scientist and one of the company’s co-founders. So, by studying the genetics of diseases in dogs, scientists may be able to figure out how these originate in humans. "This platform, by engaging mass numbers of dog owners, will provide us with data that will enable us to unlock the potential of the dog as a model system," Boyko says. That appears to be the real idea behind Embark. Its founders have figured out that it’s a lot easier to fund research if study participants — or their owners — pay for the privilege of taking part in a study. Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine has already agreed to be an Embark research partner, and the company intends to conduct its own studies, under the guidance of Adam Boyko, Embark's chief science officer, a dog geneticist at Cornell University, and Ryan’s brother.
- More Here and for the record I am interested in companies that will help Dogs rather than help Humans by using Dogs. We Sapiens already have tortured enough moral and sentient living beings in the name of food and scientific research. It's about time we think about helping other species.
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