SoftBank invests in startup that seeks to extend life of dogs.

SoftBank invests in startup that seeks to extend life of dogs.
Do you wish your dog could live longer? An American startup focused on increasing the life span of dogs by at least three years has just received US$75 million in funding to further its studies in this area.
The company, called Embark Veterinary, offers DNA tests that can help prevent canine diseases. Currently, it serves dog owners in the United States and Canada, but plans to expand its services.
The million-dollar investment came from a fund belonging to the Japanese group SoftBank, whose founder, Masayoshi Son, is using Embark's services to help his dog live longer.
Embark's chief executive, Ryan Boyko, took advantage of the attention given to his business to explain how it works in a recent interview with the US website "TechCrunch".
"We give pet owners and breeders tools to create the best future for their dogs," Boyko said, "Because of the pandemic, the mortality issue has made families realize that they want their dogs living as long as they can."
There are two packages sold by the company: one, aimed at ordinary pet owners, costs US$129. The other, more complete, for professional breeders, costs US$ 149.
Through them, according to Embark, it is possible to test dogs for more than 200 health risks, besides knowing more about their origins using DNA.
There are some examples used by Embark to demonstrate the usefulness of its services. One of them is to detect in healthy dogs, for example, a gene that shows predisposition to herniated discs.
Another common genetic risk is an excess of uric acid in the dog's urine, which can lead to the development of bladder stones, due to the way dogs process minerals. A simple change in diet can reduce the risk of this, as these stones are painful and expensive to treat, according to Boyko.
Furthermore, just by avoiding inbreeding, i.e. between dogs that are related, Embark guarantees that the animal gains two extra years in life expectancy.
Ryan Boyko calls himself a dog lover, but also an evolution enthusiast. He studied computer science and biology at Harvard University.
"You can cross breed them, so genetics has as much potential to cause problems as it does to improve quality of life."
The executive hopes that in the next few months the company will reach a database of 1 million dogs, which would provide plenty of material for more advanced studies.