Dogs are being trained to sniff out cancer and tuberculosis in unprecedented research in the country

Dogs will be trained by researchers to "sniff out" cancer in patients A groundbreaking research in Brazil developed by the Federal University of Espírito Santo (Ufes) aims to use the sense of smell of dogs to help identify diseases such as cancer, tuberculosis, and schistosomiasis. The goal is to use the animals' olfactory capacity to detect signs of these ailments in human biological samples. Named "Xero," the project involves training dogs of different breeds in sessions of one to two hours, held once or twice a week.

In total, the research, which is conducted by the Infectious Diseases Nucleus (NDI/Ufes), is expected to last four years. 📲 Click here to follow the g1 ES channel on WhatsApp The dogs will be trained at the Health Sciences Center (CCS/Ufes), at the Maruípe campus in Vitória, and will participate in the study through voluntary registration by owners. The general coordinator of the study and professor at the Ufes Department of Pathology, Carlos Graeff, explained that the training will be done through positive reinforcement, and the animals will be rewarded with their favorite food upon correctly completing each proposed stage. “When the dog is in front of a positive sample, a dispenser of food that he likes will automatically drop, and he will receive this reward. So, he will start to associate that every time he detects that smell, he gets food.

And that is the training,” he said. Dogs are being trained to sniff out cancer, tuberculosis, and schistosomiasis in an unprecedented project in the country, conducted in Espírito Santo TV Gazeta READ ALSO: 'CPF CAPIXABA': Nearly 100 humpback whales were born on the ES coast in 2025, unprecedented research shows WATCH VIDEO: Child goes viral for saying they wanted to appear on Globo during an interview with another broadcaster in ES NEW TREND: X-bolo goes viral on social networks and promises to increase pastry chef sales The study conducted in Espírito Santo is carried out in partnership with researchers from New Zealand and seeks to explore the olfactory capacity of dogs to identify microorganisms that cause diseases or biological signs associated with them, whether in the air, in urine, or in other collected biological materials. In the Oceania country, similar research is already showing promising results. "Dogs that have better performance can reach more than 90% accuracy. This is fantastic," emphasized the professor. Dogs are being trained to sniff out cancer, tuberculosis, and schistosomiasis in an unprecedented project in the country, conducted in Espírito Santo TV Gazeta How the training will work The training will be carried out in a controlled environment to ensure the health of the dogs.

Biological samples will be stored in isolated containers protected by filtration systems, while the animals sniff biological patterns associated with the diseases. The researchers' expectation is that, in the future, the technique will help make the early diagnosis of these ailments more accessible. The stages will be supervised by veterinarian Gustavo Jantorno, who works in training dogs used by federal agencies, such as the Federal Revenue Service and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. To indicate the presence or absence of signs of the diseases, the samples will be organized in a mechanical carousel developed by the team of Professor Tim Edwards, from Waikato University, in New Zealand. Through the system, the dog will be able to trigger the equipment with its snout when it does not identify the disease, allowing a new sample to be presented. All tests will be automated and monitored by cameras to reduce human interference and increase the precision of the results. Dogs are being trained to sniff out cancer, tuberculosis, and schistosomiasis in an unprecedented project in the country, conducted in Espírito Santo TV Gazeta All dogs can participate To participate in Xero and help in the identification of diseases, the dog does not need to belong to a specific breed; it can even be a mixed breed, the famous "vira-lata." According to the researchers, however, some characteristics may favor the animals' performance. “Theoretically, all dogs can participate, because all of them have olfactory cells that are much more evolved than ours.

However, dogs that love to play and eat are generally the candidates that will do best in this job,” jokes Carlos Graeff. How to volunteer Interested parties can contact via WhatsApp (51) 99981-8599, by email at caes.cancer@gmail.com, or through the @caes.cancer profile on Instagram. Videos: everything about Espírito Santo See the latest news bulletin from g1 Espírito Santo.