You may remember paddy’s story, a 5 year old Labrador who had “sniffed” the breast cancer of his mistress, thus managing to save her life. A beautiful story which may have inspired the researchers of the Institut Curie, which finances the training of two Malinois shepherds, who have been learning since September to recognize the volatile odorous compounds of breast cancer.
Thor and Nykios ‘learning takes place under the supervision of their trainer, Jacky Experton, who teaches them to memorize the odorous compounds directly extracted from patients’ tumors and impregnated on tissue. “For dogs it’s a game: I teach them to associate a reward with a singular smell”, specifies the trainer to AFP.
Each session is filmed and then analyzed by Jacky Experton with health professionals in Paris, in particular Isabelle Fromantin, who is in charge of research for the Institut Curie. “It is the hypothesis of a precious time saved on the disease that motivates this work” adds the trainer. In the longer term, trainer and researchers would like to develop an inexpensive screening system, which could be developed in countries with few infrastructure and few medical personnel.
Read also :
A dog trained to spot thyroid cancer
Infographic: finding your way around cancer screening
