K9MD recently received a $183,000 grant from the Royal Canin Foundation, to help it continue research on an early non-invasive diagnostic urine test for the disease.
K9MD New Zealand founder and chief executive Pauline Blomfield said the charitable trust had already achieved significant milestones for early detection of bowel and prostate cancers.
But now, its research would grow to include early detection of ovarian cancer.
The investment was crucial because New Zealand had one of the highest rates of cancer in the world, she said.
"Every 48 hours, one woman will die from ovarian cancer in New Zealand.
"But detection dogs Hunter, Hogan and Skye are on a mission to change that."
Trained by K9MD staff in Dunedin, the dogs would use their extraordinary sense of smell to detect the cancer early — potentially saving lives, she said.
Like many other diseases, cancers leave specific traces or odour signatures in a person’s body and bodily secretions.
Cancer cells, or healthy cells affected by cancer, produce and release specific odour signatures, which K9MD dogs are trained to pick up on.
Mrs Blomfield said the K9MD dogs were capable of checking about 300 samples a week, and early-stage validations showed an accuracy detection rate of 96% to 100%.
K9MD’s mission was to improve the health of all New Zealanders by using the dogs, working in a controlled clinical environment, to create a simple diagnostic urine test as "a value-added tool" in the fight against cancer.
The new funding would allow K9MD to recruit more nurses across the country to collect a wider range of urine samples for the dogs’ training, she said.
It would also contribute to K9MD’s specialist trainers and their medical and research team.
Royal Canin Foundation Australia New Zealand general manager Jeremy Sassoon said the dogs brought into the training programme were selected for their superior genetic quality and intelligence.
"Just like professional athletes, Hogan, Hunter and Skye require premium nutrition, training, welfare and veterinarian support.
"One of our key areas of focus is on animals supporting and having a positive impact on human health.
"Our rewarding partnership with K9MD allows us to continue to highlight this focus, while jointly playing a part in transformative non-invasive and early cancer detection."
