Medical Detection Dogs supported by Ashford Rotary Club

The club had a packed house for a fascinating talk by James about the work of the dogs which his organisation trains.

He said: “The dog’s nose is the best bio-sensor we know of. Research carried out in 2014, indicated that dogs were capable of detecting tiny traces (around one part per trillion – the equivalent of one teaspoon of sugar in two Olympic sized swimming pools) of the odour created by different diseases.”

This leads to two distinct areas of focus:

• Bio Detection Dogs are at the forefront of innovative research into dogs’ ability to detect the smell of human diseases and save lives.

“We train dogs to detect and react to the odour of human diseases such including Cancer, Bacterial infections, Malaria and many more.”

The aim is to develop faster, more efficient and less invasive diagnostics that lead to better patient outcomes. One project even aims to explore the possibility of developing an app to be used on a new generation of smart phones to help users to detect disease.

• Medical Alert Assistance Dogs which support individuals with complex health conditions who have limited awareness of an impending lifethreatening medical event. The dogs warn their owner of imminent danger – thus saving lives.

Research

James informed us: “We are working with Dr Andreas Mershin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of El Paso, on the development of an ‘electronic nose’ which will hopefully see us all one day with an app on our phones able to detect the odours of various conditions. That will, after all, be the pinnacle of using the dogs’ noses to deliver a fantastic outcome!”

“This is all medically and scientifically proven. All our programmes are initiated by NHS Trusts and University research departments, and involve very close collaboration with them.

Ashford Rotary - we are a growing club with lots of friendly members but we can always do with more! For more information search for ‘The Rotary Club of Ashford’