Launching with a Double-Blind Breast Cancer Study, the Collaboration Will Later Include Trials Targeting Additional Cancers
SpotitEarly, an early cancer detection startup using trained canines and AI to identify cancer odor signatures in breath samples, announced a research collaboration with the Hennessy Institute for Cancer Prevention and Applied Molecular Medicine. The Hennessy Institute is part of the renowned Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center—part of the National Cancer Institute-designated Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University—and Hackensack University Medical Center.
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An estimated 40 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime. SpotitEarly has set out to decrease the number of late-stage diagnoses and increase survival rates. The company has developed a breath-based, at-home test starting with breast cancer that uses the olfactory abilities of trained dogs combined with its proprietary AI platform, LUCID, to analyze and detect cancer odor signatures found in a patient’s volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and provide patients with a more accessible option for early cancer detection.
This partnership with New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive health network is a foundational U.S. collaboration for SpotitEarly, which entered the market in May 2025. The clinical research expertise of the Hennessy Institute and Hackensack Meridian Health will be critical in validating SpotitEarly’s technology. The collaboration will build on the company’s promising initial clinical trial results, with a 94 percent accuracy rate.
“Less than 15 percent of all cancers in the U.S. are diagnosed through a recommended screening protocol. This number is far too low, especially with how much we know about the life-saving potential of early detection,” said Shlomi Madar, CEO of SpotitEarly. “Our goal is to help close this gap by exploring and developing innovative screening solutions. Driven by a shared mission to transform our healthcare system from a reactive to a proactive one, this partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health marks a pivotal first step in making our technology available in the U.S.”
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With remarkable scent receptors in their nasal passages estimated to be between 10,000 and 100,000 more than people, these dogs are able to detect up-to-the-minute changes in odor, which can be indicators of disease in their human friends even before symptoms are noticed. This unique research collaboration between SpotitEarly and Hackensack Meridian Health will shine new light on a canine’s life-saving ability to sniff out cancer, proving once again why dogs remain man’s best friend, and SpotitEarly and HMH are leading the way in early detection of this life-threatening disease.
The research collaboration with Hackensack Meridian Health will begin with the launch of the PINK Study, a 2,000-participant multicenter, double-blind observational study focused on breast cancer detection. Led by breast cancer and cancer genetics specialist Elias Obeid, M.D., the medical director of the Hennessy Institute. The study’s design ensures that both participants and researchers will remain unaware because the validity of such a test is yet to be established. The trial will enroll up to 500 women currently undergoing mammograms or biopsies for breast cancer detection at Hackensack Meridian Health.
“Almost 2/3 of cancer diagnoses have no screening test. At Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center, we are deeply committed to early cancer detection – the ultimate way to improve patient outcomes,” said Andre Goy, M.D., physician-in-chief and vice president of Oncology at Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center. “Partnering with SpotitEarly on this innovative breath test technology offers a potentially groundbreaking approach to screening and aligns perfectly with our mission to transform cancer care through proactive prevention.”
“Early detection is critical in the fight against breast cancer,” said Dr. Obeid. “This collaboration with SpotitEarly allows us to explore a promising new method that could significantly impact how we screen for the disease.”
While the initial focus of the research collaboration between SpotitEarly and Hackensack Meridian Health will be on breast cancer detection, there are future plans to broaden research to include other cancer types, such as lung and prostate.
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Source – businesswire
