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# This Bengaluru startup is training dogs and AI to sniff out cancer early

**[The Next Web](https://daily.dev/sources/tnw)** · 4 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

Dognosis, a two-year-old Bengaluru startup founded by Akash Kulgod, pairs trained sniffer dogs (beagles, labradors, Dutch shepherds) with sensors and AI to detect early signs of cancer from a breath sample. Sensors and AI translate the dogs' movements, respiration, and body language into structured data, aiming to standardize the animals' reactions into a repeatable screening signal. The company reports roughly 90% sensitivity for early-stage cancers across 20+ cancer types in Phase 2 trials published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, though those figures come from the company itself and are not yet independently confirmed. It targets India's low cancer screening rates, has raised a $1.5m pre-seed plus an undisclosed follow-on round, and is running a Phase 3 trial across 10 hospitals aiming to enroll 10,000 participants. It needs no Indian regulatory approval since it is classified as a prescreening tool rather than a diagnostic device, and the company eventually wants to replace the dogs with sensors entirely.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://thenextweb.com/news/dognosis-cancer-sniffing-dogs-ai>

## Questions this post answers

### What sensitivity rate did Dognosis report for detecting early-stage cancer using dogs and AI?

Dognosis reported roughly 90% sensitivity for early-stage cancers in Phase 2 trials published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The approach targets more than 20 cancer types across seven groups, including breast, oral cavity, lung, and cervical cancer, using trained beagles, labradors, and Dutch shepherds to sniff breath samples, with sensors and AI standardizing their reactions into structured data. These figures are company-reported and not yet independently confirmed.

_Following applied AI health-tech ventures like this one is easier with daily.dev's tech coverage._

### Why doesn't Dognosis need regulatory approval in India to sell its cancer breath test?

Dognosis needs no Indian regulatory approval because a prescreening tool is not classified as a diagnostic device under current rules. This lowers the barrier to launch but also means the technology can reach patients without clearing the bar a formal diagnostic would require, so a positive result is meant only as a prompt to see a doctor, not a verdict.

_Developers evaluating health-tech products weigh regulatory gaps like this one alongside daily.dev's tech news._

### How is Dognosis planning to scale its dog-based cancer screening service?

Dognosis is running a Phase 3 trial launched in April across 10 hospitals aiming to enrol about 10,000 participants, and is targeting a million tests a year with a one-week turnaround using around 30 dogs. Kulgod plans an at-home, multi-cancer prescreening test in India within the next year priced at a few thousand rupees, plus a US facility pencilled in for late 2027 or early 2028.

_Anyone tracking how health-tech startups scale novel diagnostics can follow updates like this via daily.dev._

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---

Tags: [#ai](https://daily.dev/tags/ai), [#startup](https://daily.dev/tags/startup), [#healthcare](https://daily.dev/tags/healthcare)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/this-bengaluru-startup-is-training-dogs-and-ai-to-sniff-out-cancer-early-daborgsuz)

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