Dogs' sense of smell has long been used in police, customs, and search operations. Now researchers in India have decided to apply this ability in medicine. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The Indian startup Dognosis is developing an unusual method for detecting cancer: instead of blood tests or imaging, researchers use dogs. In the laboratory, about 15 specially trained animals analyze human breath samples, and artificial intelligence translates their reactions into numbers.
The researchers rely on dogs' ability to recognize volatile organic compounds—substances that may change in various diseases. Cancer may form a characteristic set of such compounds.
The test is called BreathEasy. To take it, a person only needs to breathe into a special cotton mask for about 10 minutes. Then the mask is hermetically sealed and sent to the laboratory with dogs. The patient does not come into contact with the animals.
During work, dogs wear special helmets and harnesses with sensors that record breathing, movements, and brain activity. This data is then processed by AI.
According to Dognosis, in a study involving more than 1,500 people from six hospitals in Karnataka state, dogs were able to correctly identify over 90% of cancer cases and over 91% of samples without oncology.
The study included 283 patients with confirmed cancer and 1,219 people without the disease. The analysis covered seven groups of tumors, including head and neck, breast, lung, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary cancers.
The company also reported comparable results in early stages of the disease. In the future, large independent studies will be needed to confirm the result.
The developers consider the test as a preliminary screening that can help determine who should undergo medical examination. A positive result of such a test should not replace biopsy, imaging, or other diagnostic methods.
Dognosis plans further clinical studies and is preparing the commercial launch of BreathEasy in India. The company expects to start it in Bangalore in 2027.
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