This work consists of a medical kit that allows us to implement an innovative, scalable, global solution to take medical diagnostics to areas that can’t run even the most basic medical devices due to financial and infrastructure limitations. We designed “bone-shaped odor collection kits” that we hand over to locals to collect specimens for highly trained medical dogs to sniff out. By sniffing an odor sample, dogs can diagnose a disease.

This new medical product was crafted with all the materials locals need to collect the samples themselves: simple visual instructions, neutral soap, gauze and a thermal ziplock bag for the sample. The kit is designed to withstand harsh environments and extreme conditions to preserve the samples. After collection, the odor samples are sniffed by the dogs. The sooner they sniff them, the sooner patients can be sent for further analysis and treatment.

This work is relevant for Design because it consists of a medical kit that allows us to implement an innovative, scalable, global solution to take medical diagnostics to areas that can’t run even the most basic medical devices due to financial and infrastructure limitations. We designed “bone-shaped odor collection kits” that we hand over to locals to collect specimens for highly trained medical dogs to sniff out. By sniffing an odor sample, dogs can diagnose a disease.

This new medical product was crafted with all the materials locals need to collect the samples themselves: simple visual instructions, neutral soap, gauze and a thermal ziplock bag for the sample. The kit is designed to withstand harsh environments and extreme conditions to preserve the samples. After collection, the odor samples are sniffed by the dogs. The sooner they sniff them, the sooner patients can be sent for further analysis and treatment.

We partnered with SFBO, a project founded by the internationally renowned Curie Institute, to create Dogs Without Borders — a first-of-its-kind initiative that uses medical dogs to sniff out disease in remote areas where doctors and diagnostics are out of reach. Dogs Without Borders rescues dogs waiting to die in shelters and trains them to save people in isolated locations.

Our unique bone-shaped odor collection kits are crafted to to withstand harsh environments, protecting the samples from heat, cold, humidity among other extreme conditions.

The kit contains everything locals need to collect the samples themselves: a manual with simple visual instructions and copy translated to multiple languages, a fragrance free soap, gauze and a thermal ziplock bag for the sample. After collection, the odor samples are then sniffed by highly trained dogs

Cancer is just the beginning for us, we’re expanding to other diseases and countries.

Since January 2023, over 1,000 patients have been reached and diagnosed, across three different continents, including Amazon Forest natives in Brazil and nomads in the Sahara desert in Morocco. The collected samples not only help save lives that could be lost if patients go undiagnosed, but they also become a tool for future research and dog training. With dogs being able to detect diseases like cancer with 100% accuracy, the governments in certain countries like Brazil are already in conversations with SFBO to make our four-legged friends part of the public health system.

Thanks to our affiliate program, Dogs Without Borders is expanding operations to tackle many other diseases such as malaria, COVID-19, diabetes, and Parkinson’s among others.

Dogs Without Borders is now on its way to become an independent NGO that can reach millions living in communities where doctors and diagnostics are out of reach.

We designed an entirely new health system that saves dogs left to die in shelters and trains them to save people in remote areas. To do so, we created a bone-shaped “odor collection kit” designed to withstand the harshest environments. It consists of an hermetic capsule that protects the samples from heat, cold, humidity, water, environment odors among other external agents that could damage the specimens.

The kit contains everything locals need to collect the samples themselves: a manual with simple visual instructions, a fragrance-free soap, gauze and a thermal ziplock bag. The paint is texturized, giving the product a rubbery grip that facilitates handling. And the insulated ziplock bag offers extra protection. Upon collection, locals place the samples in the ziplock bag and return it to our crew members within the bone. Then, dogs sniff out the samples. The sooner they sniff them, the higher accuracy in detecting disease.

In many developing countries such as Brazil and Morocco, a big part of the population lives in remote areas that lack access to hospitals and medical attention.Very often, small villages and communities don’t even have electricity to run the most basic diagnostic devices. And when they do, they don’t have financial resources to afford them. With that said, the overall perception of the project is so positive in every market the idea took place that SFBO is already in advanced talks with the government in countries like Brazil to make our four-legged friends part of the public health system. Dogs Without Borders became so relevant for many isolated communities in 3 different continents that the initiative is now on its way to become an independent NGO that can reach millions more living where doctors and diagnostics are a distant reality.