能從尿液樣本中嗅出結腸癌並協助科學家開發非侵入性檢測的狗

Por Josefina Reyes
17 August, 2026

Callie 不是一隻普通的狗。在英格蘭大霍伍德,她每天嗅聞一罐罐尿液,尋找人眼看不見的東西。

當細胞癌變時,它的代謝會改變,並釋放出身體會透過排尿排出的揮發性有機化合物。這些化學痕跡對我們而言無形,卻瞞不過擁有數億個嗅覺受體的鼻子。這正是 Callie 發揮作用的地方:她由 Medical Detection Dogs 與 Open University 共同訓練,能在盲測中分辨大腸直腸癌患者的尿液與健康人士的尿液。

@medicaldetectiondogs

Bowel cancer detection dog, Callie, identified the odour of the disease in stand 4 and made it very clear to her trainer, Mark, with a stand and stare indication and her signature tippy taps. Callie had actually missed this positive sample in a previous run, as she was working at Spaniel speed and was so excited to be in the room that she didn’t quite sniff the sample at the intensity we know is needed, so Mark put it back in a few runs later and encouraged her to slow down. There was no way she was missing it twice! #medicaldetectiondogs #dogs #fyp #thenoseknows #cancer

♬ original sound – medicaldetectiondogs

當她找到陽性樣本時,便會用爪子拍打地面示意。沒有人期待 Callie 取代醫生。她真正的價值在於她所揭示的資訊:如果她的嗅覺能分離出這種疾病的分子模式,科學家就能將其作為地圖,在腫瘤可見之前設計出早期、非侵入性且易於取得的診斷檢測。

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