Our Research
From clinical trials for early disease detection to innovative automated training technology, we're well on our way to providing a scalable solution for early disease detection in humans while also providing technologies that will enhance the lives of animals everywhere.
Breast Cancer Clinical Trial
In collaboration with Siteman Cancer Center and Medical K9 in St. Louis, MO, we're working on a 10,000-person clinical trial for a non-invasive, affordable, accurate, and convenient at-home breast cancer test.
VOC-Capturing Handheld Device
In order to provide cancer screening as a scalable service, the breath samples need to come to the dogs rather than the dogs going to the patients. We're working on a handheld device that will capture VOC from breath samples and hold the sample during transport in various temperatures.
New Types of Service Dogs
We already know dogs make incredible companions, service providers, and disease detectors, but we've just scratched the surface of what they are truly capable of. With further research, we're confident our Dogtors will be able to save even more lives and perform even more incredible feats in the coming years.
Oral Cancer Clinical Trial
In collaboration with dentists in New Delhi, India, we're working on a program to provide fully-trained dogs that can detect oral cancer earlier than currently possible. These dogs would visit markets in densely-populated regions and save countless lives.
Odor Amplification
Although dogs are already able to smell anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 times better than humans, we've found a way to enhance their ability even more. This allows dogs to detect diseases even earlier than without our technology.
Automated Animal Training
Human dog trainers need to spend weeks or even months teaching a dog the game of low odor detection. Our innovative technology will teach the same skill in a single week, allowing more detection dogs to hit the streets sooner.
EXISTING RESEARCH
by other scientists
Scientists have been studying the incredible abilities of dogs to smell trace odors for decades. This research goes far beyond bomb and drug detection dogs. It's well documented that dogs are able to detect diseases in humans and are often more accurate than conventional methods of detection. Below are just a few of the many published medical journals showing this:
Published Medical Journals
Canine Scent Detection of Human Cancers: A Review
Moser E, McCulloch M. Canine scent detection of human cancers: a review. J Vet Behav Clin Appl Res 2010;5:145-52
Results: Two studies involved dogs detecting breast cancer (sensitivity 88% using exhaled breath and 22% using urine; specificity was 98% and 20%, respectively), 1 involved bladder cancer (41% of urine samples detected), 1 involved melanoma (75–85.7% of in situ tumors detected), 1 involved lung cancer (sensitivity 99% and specificity 99% using exhaled breath), 1 involved ovarian cancer (sensitivity 100% and specificity 97.5% using thawed frozen tumor samples), and 1 involved prostate cancer (18% of urine samples detected). One study on ovarian cancer is in progress.
Diagnostic Accuracy Of Canine Scent Detection In Early- And Late-Stage Lung And Breast Cancers
McCulloch M, Jezierski T, Broffman M, Hubbard A, Turner K, Janecki T. Diagnostic accuracy of canine scent detection in early- and late-stage lung and breast cancers. Integr Cancer Ther 2006;5:30-9
Results: Among lung cancer patients and controls, overall sensitivity of canine scent detection compared to biopsy-confirmed conventional diagnosis was 0.99 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99, 1.00) and overall specificity 0.99 (95% CI, 0.96, 1.00). Among breast cancer patients and controls, sensitivity was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.75, 1.00) and specificity 0.98 (95% CI, 0.90, 0.99). Sensitivity and specificity were remarkably similar across all 4 stages of both diseases.
Colorectal Cancer Screening With Odor Material By Canine Scent Detection
Sonoda H, Kohnoe S. Yamazato T, et al. Colorectal cancer screening with odor material by canine scent detection. Gut 2011;60:814-9
Results: 33 and 37 groups of breath and watery stool samples, respectively, were tested. Among patients with CRC and controls, the sensitivity of canine scent detection of breath samples compared with conventional diagnosis by colonoscopy was 0.91 and the specificity was 0.99. The sensitivity of canine scent detection of stool samples was 0.97 and the specificity was 0.99. The accuracy of canine scent detection was high even for early cancer. Canine scent detection was not confounded by current smoking, benign colorectal disease, or inflammatory disease.
Olfactory Detection Of Prostate Cancer By Dogs Sniffing Urine: A Step Forward In Early Diagnosis
Comu JN. Cancel Tassin G, Ondet V. Girardet C, Cussenot O. Olfactory detection of prostate cancer by dogs sniffing urine: a step forward in early diagnosis. Eur Urol 2011:59:197-201
Results: The dog completed all the runs and correctly designated the cancer samples in 30 of 33 cases. Of the three cases wrongly classified as cancer, one patient was rebiopsied and a PCa was diagnosed. The sensitivity and specificity were both 91%
Canine Scent Detection in the Diagnosis of Lung Cancer: Revisiting a Puzzling Phenomenon
Ehmann R. Boedeker E, Friedrich U, et al. Canine scent detection in the diagnosis of lung cancer: revisiting a puzzling phenomenon. Eur Respir J 2012;39:669~76
Results: Lung cancer was identified with an overall sensitivity of 71% and a specificity of 93%. Lung cancer detection was independent from COPD and the presence of tobacco smoke and food odors. Logistic regression identified two drugs as potential confounders.
A Non-Invasive Tool for Detecting Cervical Cancer Odor by Trained Scent Dogs
Guerrero-Flores H, Apresa-Garcia T, Garay-Villar O, et al. A non-invasive tool for detecting cervical cancer odor by trained scent dogs. BMC Cancer 2017;17:79
Results: The beagle was proven able to detect CC-specific volatile organic compounds (VOC) contained in both fresh cervical smear samples and adsorbent material samples. Beagle's success rate at detecting and discriminating CC and non-CC odors, as indicated by specificity and sensitivity values recorded during the experiment, stood at an overall high (>90%). CC-related VOC in adsorbent materials were detectable after only eight hours of use by CC patients.
Lung Cancer Diagnosis by Trained Dogs
Guirao Montes A, Molins Lopez-Rodo L, Ramon Rodriguez I, et al. Lung cancer diagnosis by trained dogs. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2017;52:1206-10
Results: The trained dog recognized LC in exhaled gas with a sensitivity of 0.95, a specificity of 0.98, a positive predictive value of 0.95 and a negative predictive value of 0.98. The area under the curve of the receiver-operating characteristics curve was 0.971.
Detection of Bacteriuria by Canine Olfaction
Maurer M. McCulloch M, Willey AM, Hirsch W, Dewey D. Detection of bacteriuria by canine olfaction. Open Forum Infect Dis 2016;3:0fw051
Results: Samples were obtained from 687 individuals (from 3 months to 92 years of age; 86% female and 14% male; 34% culture-positive and 66% culture-negative controls). Dogs detected urine samples positive for 100 000 colony-forming units/mL Escherichia coli (N = 250 trials; sensitivity 99.6%, specificity 91.5%). Dilution of E coli urine with distilled water did not affect accuracy at 1% (sensitivity 100%, specificity 91.1%) or 0.1% (sensitivity 100%, specificity 93.6%) concentration. Diagnostic accuracy was similar to Enterococcus (n = 50; sensitivity 100%, specificity 93.9%), Klebsiella (n = 50; sensitivity 100%, specificity 95.1%), and Staphylococcus aureus (n = 50; sensitivity 100%, specificity 96.3%). All dogs performed with similarly high accuracy: overall sensitivity was at or near 100%, and specificity was above 90%.