About Our Research
Led by Dr. Adam Boyko, the Embark science team is driving new discoveries in dog health. Learn all about our research and how understanding dog DNA can help us better understand human health, too.
Pannus in Dogs (Chronic Superficial Keratitis) Research Study
Pannus is an immune-related eye disease in dogs that can cause vision impairment or even blindness if left untreated. Embark is partnering with Cornell University, a leading research institution, to gather samples for the study of the genetic factors involved in this disease. Keep reading to learn more about pannus in dogs and how you...
Embark Partners with AnimalBiome to Study the Dog Microbiome
In partnership with AnimalBiome, leaders in canine microbiome research, Embark Veterinary now offers tests and supplements designed to support dogs’ digestive and oral health. What is the microbiome? Both humans and animals have a community of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms that live inside the body. Collectively called the microbiome, these microorganisms play important...
Supporting Canine Health Research Helps Dogs Live Long, Healthy Lives
Every dog owner wants their dog to live a long and healthy life. Every dog breeder wants to provide a healthy and happy puppy to its new family. Canine health depends on sound practices from purpose-bred dog breeders as well as cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs in genetic health from the research community. Working together breeders...
5 Questions with Ausra Milano, Embark Research Scientist
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an Embark scientist? When your dog’s Embark swab goes to the lab to be studied, there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes. Ausra Milano is a research scientist who makes sure Embark’s DNA swabs are processed properly. Ausra is also actively...
6 Ways Dog DNA Is Helping Humans
When the news arrived that dog DNA testing would be made available, there was a mix of reactions. Some people were angry, as communities were using it to see if pooches had any banned breeds in their ancestry. Some people were happy with the possibility of determining the appropriate disease prevention for their fur baby. Still,...
Embarking on Dog Ancestry Research
If you have Embarked your dog and opted to participate in scientific research, you’re officially a citizen scientist! On behalf of Embark, I want to say thanks for your contribution. In 2017, Embark presented some of the first research to come out of the data that you and others have given us. We were at...
Where Did Dogs Come From?
Where did dogs come from? While the answer isn’t yet clear, DNA has given scientists many clues about the origin of our canine companions. What do we know about where dogs came from? As The New York Times reports, “Scientists generally agree that humanity’s best friend descended from gray wolves, scampering into our lives at...
Why I Founded Embark
I founded Embark because I love dogs and science. My earliest experiences as a biologist came in the rainforests of Costa Rica and Panama studying all different sorts of tropical biodiversity, and also getting friendly with the free-ranging dogs wandering around the nearby towns (my family even adopted a dog in Panama when we lived...