New research shows trained dogs can detect Parkinsons from skin swabs with surprising accuracy
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Trained dogs were able to detect Parkinsons disease from skin swabs with up to 80% accuracy.
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This method could lead to a faster, non-invasive way to diagnose the disease earlier.
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Researchers hope it could eventually help spot Parkinsons years before symptoms appear.
What if a dogs nose could help doctors diagnose Parkinsons Disease (PD)?
Thats exactly what new research from Medical Detection Dogs and the Universities of Bristol and Manchester has explored.
In a recent study, two specially trained dogs were able to sniff out Parkinsons with high accuracy, using nothing more than skin swabs from participants.
While we often associate medical detection dogs with things like cancer or diabetes, this study brings us one step closer to using mans best friend as a tool in identifying neurological diseases especially those like Parkinsons that are notoriously hard to catch early.
We are extremely proud to say that once again, dogs can very accurately detect disease, Medical Detection Dogs CEO and Chief Scientific Officer Claire Guest said in a news release.
There is currently no early test for Parkinsons disease and symptoms may start up to 20 years before they become visible and persistent, leading to a confirmed diagnosis. Timely diagnosis is key as subsequent treatment could slow down the progression of the disease and reduce the intensity of symptoms.
The study
The star dogs Bumper the Golden Retriever and Peanut the Labrador were trained over several weeks using more than 200 skin swab samples.
The samples came from two groups: people with Parkinsons disease and those without. During training, the dogs learned to pick out the scent associated with Parkinsons and were rewarded when they correctly identified positive samples or correctly ignored the ones that didnt show signs of the disease.
For the actual testing phase, researchers used a double-blind method. That means even the handlers didnt know which samples were which only a computer did.
Each row of samples was presented in different orders, and any samples the dogs didnt respond to were reshuffled and re-presented until a decision was made for every single one.
The results
The dogs showed up to 80% sensitivity (correctly identifying positive cases) and up to 98% specificity (correctly ignoring negative ones).
Even more noteworthy? The dogs were still able to detect Parkinsons even when patients had other unrelated health conditions, suggesting the scent they were picking up on is very specific to the disease.
Theres still no definitive test for Parkinsons, and symptoms can take years even decades to fully show up. Thats why early detection tools like this have so much promise.
Identifying diagnostic biomarkers of PD, particularly those that may predict development or help diagnose disease earlier, is the subject of much ongoing research, researcher Nicola Rooney said in the news release.
The dogs in this study achieved high sensitivity and specificity and showed there is an olfactory signature distinct to patients with the disease. Sensitivity levels of 70% and 80% are well above chance, and I believe that dogs could help us to develop a quick non-invasive and cost-effective method to identify patients with Parkinsons disease.
Posted: 2025-07-24 18:04:40