Can dogs smell cancer in humans? Bengaluru founders says with AI, dogs can detect seven cancer symptoms with 90% accuracy

Synopsis

Startup Dognosis, based in Bengaluru, is creating an AI-driven, dog-assisted breath analysis to detect seven forms of cancer. Co-founded by Akash Kulgod and Itamar Bitan, the startup intends to introduce an at-home multicancer prescreening test in India by 2027.

Can dogs become a cancer detector? According to two Bengaluru founders, they can, especially with a bit of help from AI. A simple breath test, powered by artificial intelligence and the almost supernatural smelling sense of dogs, may be able to detect cancer before symptoms appear. A Bengaluru-based startup called Dognosis is exploring the possibility with an innovative technology that combines canine scene detection skills, biometric sensors and AI-powered analysis to identify cancerous growth of seven cancers. A 2026 study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology said that this method has promising results in 90.8% sensitivity and 91.3% specificity. The cancers include head and neck, breast, lung and thoracic, gynaecological, upper and lower gastrointestinal, and genitourinary cancers. The sensitivity of early-stage cancers was an impressive 90.6%.