Dognosis canine cancer screening trial

Bengaluru-based startup Dognosis is developing a low-cost, non-invasive cancer prescreening method that uses trained dogs' sense of smell combined with AI and sensors to detect cancer from breath samples. The company reported roughly 90% sensitivity for early-stage cancers in a Phase 2 study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, covering over 20 cancer types. In April, Dognosis launched a Phase 3 trial across 10 Indian hospitals, aiming to enroll about 10,000 participants over 12 months. The company plans to launch an at-home multi-cancer prescreening test in India next year, targeting a few thousand rupees, and eventually process 1 million tests annually with a one-week turnaround. Dognosis has raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed round in 2024 and an undisclosed sum recently, backed by Accel (company) and Caffeinated Capital. The company is also eyeing a US facility by late 2027 or early 2028. India has the third-highest prevalence of new cancer cases globally, with an estimated 1.5 million new cases and over 900,000 deaths in 2024, yet screening rates remain very low. Dognosis's approach aims to address this gap, though it is a prescreening tool and does not require Indian regulatory approval.