Bengaluru News | Cancer-detecting Dogs: Bengaluru Startup Turns Sniffing Into Science

Can dogs help detect cancer simply by using their extraordinary sense of smell? A Bengaluru startup is exploring that possibility by training dogs to identify cancer-related signals in human samples. The facility uses dogs of different breeds, including rescued mixed-breed dogs, with personality and their natural enthusiasm for sniffing considered more important than breed. The dogs are presented with samples placed inside specialised discs, while cameras, infrared sensors, RFID scanners and wearable devices track their behaviour, movement, heart rate and respiratory activity. The startup is also using artificial intelligence to analyse the dogs’ responses, reducing dependence on humans interpreting canine body language. According to the team, this combination of trained dogs and AI could allow a single dog to screen around 250 samples in 30 minutes, with 15 dogs potentially screening around half a million samples a year. The report explores how Bengaluru’s startup is attempting to turn dogs’ natural sniffing ability into a scalable cancer-screening technology.