This Bengaluru Startup is Training Dogs and AI to Sniff Out Cancer Early
August 14, 2026 – 5:56 am
Credit: Dognosis
Dognosis pairs trained sniffer dogs with artificial intelligence to flag cancer from a breath sample. It’s a charming idea tackling a real problem, but with some caveats: this is prescreening in trials, not a proven diagnostic.
A dog’s nose has long outclassed most laboratory kits, and a two-year-old Bengaluru startup called Dognosis is betting it can turn that biological talent into a screening tool. The company combines trained sniffer dogs with sensors and AI to identify early signs of cancer from a single breath sample—the latest in a busy field where AI is being applied to cancer detection.
The process is simple: you breathe into a mask, which is then couriered to Dognosis’s facility, a farm outside Bengaluru, where beagles, labradors, and Dutch shepherds sniff the sample. Sensors and AI monitor the animals’ movements, respiration, brain activity, and body language, translating pauses or wags into structured data. The theory is that tumors leave a chemical signature in exhaled breath, detectable by dogs long before conventional tools can see it.
There’s no imaging involved—unlike systems trained to spot breast cancer on an X-ray—no blood draw, and no biopsy. The AI layer standardizes the animal’s reactions into something repeatable.
Founded by Akash Kulgod, Dognosis claims its approach targets over 20 cancer types across seven groups, including breast, oral cavity, lung, and cervical cancers. In Phase 2 trials published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the company reports around 90% sensitivity for early-stage cancers. Dogs trained on 10 cancer types even identified an 11th type they had never been shown before. However, these accuracy and detection figures are reported by the company and its researchers, not independently confirmed.
The startup’s pitch gains traction against India’s grim cancer statistics: about 1.5 million new cases and over 900,000 deaths in 2024, making it one of the world’s heaviest caseloads. Screening rates are low—roughly 1.9% for cervical cancer and fewer than 1% for breast or oral cancers—due to cost, distance, and the discomfort of invasive tests.
A cheap, non-invasive tool aimed at preventative healthcare could reach people the formal system never touches, which is precisely Dognosis’s target market.
Dognosis raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding in 2024 and has since closed a further, undisclosed round with Accel India and Caffeinated Capital among its backers. The startup’s roadmap is ambitious: Kulgod plans an at-home, multi-cancer prescreening test in India next year, priced at a few thousand rupees.
A Phase 3 trial began in April across 10 hospitals, aiming to enroll about 10,000 participants, and the company aims for one million tests per year with a one-week turnaround, using around 30 dogs. A US facility is planned for late 2027 or early 2028.
There’s a regulatory wrinkle: Kulgod notes that Dognosis needs no Indian approval because it’s not classed as a diagnostic device. This lowers the launch barrier but means the technology could reach patients without formal approval. A positive result prompts seeing a doctor, not a verdict.