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Get answers to the most common questions.

What is SmartDx?

At SmartDx, we use artificial intelligence (AI) developed in-house to analyze your dog’s DNA and estimate the risk of developing certain diseases during its lifetime. Unlike products that simply connect to a general-purpose AI tool, such as ChatGPT or Claude, we use our own specially developed machine-learning models. These models are built to study canine genetics and estimate the risk of specific diseases.

Many dog DNA tests look for specific genetic changes, called mutations, that are linked to diseases. While this information can be useful, it does not always tell the whole story. Imagine trying to predict how a cake will turn out by looking at just one ingredient. The final result depends on how all the ingredients work together. In the same way, a dog’s risk of developing a disease can depend on many genetic factors working together. We use our own AI models to study patterns across the dog’s DNA instead of looking at individual genetic changes alone. This allows us to estimate disease risk using a broader view of the dog’s genetic information.

Our AI models are developed in-house specifically for genetic risk assessment. They are not simply general-purpose chatbots, such as ChatGPT or Claude, connected to a DNA test through a basic software link, sometimes called a wrapper. Instead, our models are designed to analyze genetic data, identify patterns that may be linked to specific diseases, and aggregate those patterns together to estimate disease risk.

We train our models using genetic information from dogs with known health outcomes. By studying these examples, the models learn patterns that may help estimate disease risk in other dogs. Training AI for disease risk prediction can be challenging because some diseases are rare, and it can be difficult to collect enough DNA samples from dogs with confirmed diagnoses. To help address this challenge, we also use information from more than 14,000 canine DNA samples that do not have disease labels. These additional samples expose the models to a wider variety of genetic information. We also separate genetic patterns associated with disease from ones that are more associated with physical traits such as a dog’s breed.

We use two in-house technologies that work together: Morse and Mew.

Morse organizes the genetic information.

DNA testing produces large computer files containing genetic information. Morse reads these files and converts the information into a compact format made up of zeros and ones. Morse prepares a large collection of information so a computer can work with it more efficiently. This helps reduce storage needs and speeds up data processing.

Mew analyzes the genetic information.

After Morse prepares the data, Mew uses our AI technology to look for patterns across the dog’s genome. These patterns help Mew estimate the dog’s risk of developing specific diseases during its lifetime. Together, Morse and Mew turn complex genetic information into a risk assessment that is easier to use and understand.

No. We estimate the risk of developing a disease over a dog’s lifetime. It does not diagnose a disease or determine whether your dog currently has one. We also do not perform early detection. An ‘At Risk’ result does not mean that your dog will develop the disease in the near future. If your dog is showing signs of illness, contact your veterinarian rather than relying on a genetic risk assessment.

No. While our models are trained to robustly predict genetic disease risk, we cannot see into the future. For example, an ‘At Risk’ dog may unfortunately pass away before the symptoms of the disease develop.

We use datasets representing more than 300 canine breeds. This helps its models learn from genetic information across a broad range of dogs, rather than relying only on a few breeds. A dog’s breed is one part of their health profile that is constructed using our intake form (to-be-completed upon receipt of your SmartDx test kit). This health profile is used as contextualizing information that Mew uses when estimating risk. The diseases we focus on can affect many different breeds. Our approach is designed to estimate disease risk across a diverse canine population.

Sometimes, a DNA test does not provide information for every genetic location being studied. We use specialized, built in-house methods to use a dog’s health profile to help address these gaps and prepare the data for analysis. This helps the models work with genetic information that may be incomplete.

Mew’s risk assessment has:

  • High accuracy: Mew’s risk assessment varies from 90-98% accurate depending on the disease.
  • Low false negative rate: ‘Not at Risk’ assessments are unlikely to be wrong
  • Low false positive rate: ‘At Risk’ assessments are unlikely to be wrong (slightly lower than false negative rates)

If Mew identifies that your dog is ‘At Risk’ for one or more diseases, a look under Mew’s hood is provided for each disease. While Mew is not a chatbot/agent, it does provide the details related to its prediction to be analyzed by your vet or another qualified, trusted professional. This information includes Mew’s confidence in its prediction, the regions of the genome of greatest concern, and more! This information can be used to craft a proactive health plan and emphasize the importance of vigilant monitoring.

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