When she is not running around a property on the outskirts of Bangalore, one of India's main technology hubs, Chloe, a four-year-old dog, takes part in an unconventional mission: learning to identify signs of cancer through human breath. The training is part of a project that combines dogs' sense of smell with artificial intelligence to try to develop a simple and non-invasive way to screen for the disease.
The procedure tested by the company is relatively simple. The patient breathes for about ten minutes into a cotton mask, which is then sealed in a bag and sent to the laboratory. There, the sample is presented to the trained dogs.
Chloe is part of a group of 15 animals currently used by the startup. Most are beagles, breeds known for their good sense of smell. Artificial intelligence is used to assist in the training process and analysis of the results obtained from the dogs.
