Can dogs detect cancer? Bengaluru start-up begins 10,000-person trial
What's the story
Bengaluru-based start-up Dognosis is conducting an innovative trial to detect cancer using specially trained dogs. The company has launched a 10,000-person study across 10 Indian hospitals, testing its dog-and-AI breath-screening system. The aim is to offer a low-cost, non-invasive screening method in India by 2027. This unique approach leverages the canine sense of smell, usually used for detecting drugs or explosives, for affordable health screening and early detection of diseases like cancer.
Screening method
How the process works
Dognosis's dogs sniff human breath samples for early signs of cancer.
The patients breathe into masks, which are then sent to the company's facility.
Here, the dogs are exposed to these samples. Sensors and AI analyze signals like the animals' movements, respiration, brain activity, and body language to detect potential signs of cancer in the sample, without any imaging scans or blood tests.
Study findings
Early-stage cancer detection
In a Phase 2 study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Dognosis reported about 90% sensitivity for early-stage cancers across seven broad groups covering over 20 cancer types, including breast cancer.
The dogs seem to be able to expand their detection capabilities too: trained on the scent of 10 cancer types, they detected an 11th type they hadn't encountered before.
Expansion strategy
Plans for at-home test next year
Dognosis plans to launch an at-home, multi-cancer prescreening test in India next year for a few thousand rupees.
The company hopes to process one million tests a year, double its canine workforce to 30, and halve turnaround times to one week.
However, it will have to prove that accuracy holds across larger populations while building logistics for moving and processing large numbers of breath samples.
Trial progress
Phase 3 trial and expansion plans
Dognosis has already started its Phase 3 trial in April with 10 hospitals across India.
The study will test asymptomatic people at higher risk of cancer and survivors at risk of recurrence.
If the results are positive, it plans to launch in Bengaluru next year before expanding across India through partnerships with diagnostic chains and healthcare providers.