Overview

• In double-blind trials with 305 skin swabs, two dogs reached up to 80% sensitivity and 98% specificity in distinguishing Parkinson’s samples from controls.
• The findings confirm that Parkinson’s-specific volatile biomarkers in sebum can be identified non-invasively years before motor symptoms emerge.
• Only two canines—a golden retriever named Bumper and a black Labrador named Peanut—completed the rigorous training protocol out of five recruits.
• Research teams are standardizing swab collection methods and preparing multicenter validation studies to assess the method’s scalability and reliability.
• If adopted clinically, canine olfaction could offer a quick, low-cost screening tool that accelerates early intervention and guides development of disease-slowing treatments.