Cornell Startup Embark Founded to Assess Various Dogs’ Genealogy

Embark, a canine DNA testing company founded in 2015 by brothers Ryan and Adam Bokyo in Cornell’s Incubator for Life Science Companies, is now taking strides in studies of the canine genome. With the swab of a dog’s cheek, Embark can provide information about the dog’s genetic risk factors and ancestry. 

Cornell Researchers Confirm Genetic Link to Autism

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 68 children have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Yet, despite extensive research, the reason for the disorder’s development remains unclear. But that could soon change, thanks to research conducted by Yiqin Wang grad and Prof. Zhenglong Gu, nutritional sciences. The duo studied the link between certain states of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and ASD. mtDNA, unlike nuclear DNA, is inherited from the mother and while there are over three billion base pairs of nuclear DNA, there are about 16,500 base pairs of mtDNA.