In India, a startup is developing a method to detect cancer using dogs and AI — The Japan Times
Indian startup Dognosis in Bengaluru is developing a non-invasive method for initial cancer screening: trained dogs analyze patients’ breath samples, while an artificial intelligence system processes their reactions to odors. The Japan Times reports.
The company uses AI to analyze the dogs’ brain activity, breathing and body language, turning their reactions to odors into data. One of the 15 dogs in the program, Chloe, a Labrador mix, works wearing a special 3D-printed helmet and a sensor-equipped harness.
How testing is conducted
For the analysis, a patient breathes into a cotton mask for about 10 minutes. The mask is then sealed and delivered to a laboratory, where dogs examine the samples on special platforms with automatic feeders. Patients do not come into direct contact with the dogs.
Dognosis co-founder Akash Kulgod said that a dog can perform thousands of sniffing attempts per hour, with each one allowing a sample to be assessed. Studies indicate that diseases can alter the chemicals released by the body, creating characteristic odors. Dogs have about 300 million olfactory receptors, compared with around 5 million in humans.
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Study results and doctors’ cautions
A recent Dognosis study involving more than 1,500 people and six hospitals in the state of Karnataka was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The company says the accuracy of detecting seven major types of cancer exceeded 90%. The next stage is expected to be trials in real-world programs.
Oncologists in Bengaluru who are not affiliated with the project assessed the results cautiously. Santosh Kumar Devadas, head of oncology at Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, called the study a promising early signal but stressed the need for a much larger sample before drawing final conclusions. Nilesh Reddy, senior consultant oncologist at Manipal Hospitals, also noted that the technology’s practical benefit for patients still needs to be established.
Dognosis, backed by venture investors including Accel India, is working with public healthcare institutions and plans a commercial launch next year. The company sees the method as an affordable first level of screening, after which potential cases would require additional testing.
