An Abbots Langley charity has assisted scientists with a new non-invasive method of early cancer detection.

DEMAND, a charity dedicated to engineering and designing equipment to help people with disabilities, was contacted in 2008 by a group of scientists who were using sniffer dogs to detect changes in the smell of urine when cancerous cells are present in the body.

Their results were promising, so they asked DEMAND to help speed up the process.

Although medical research posed a new challenge for the charity, DEMAND wanted to get involved with the cause.

They build a carousel with eight sample sniffing stations that would reduce the time taken to set up and run a test.

A trained dog can then be led around the carousel, sniffing each sample in turn and indicating to the handler if they detect the presence of the chemicals produced by the cancerous cells.

The carousel also adjusts in height for small or tall dogs.

This week their research was featured in New Scientist magazine Denise Gillies, fundraising manager for DEMAND, said: "We are delighted to see the research progressing, nearing a stage where the process could soon be implemented into the screening process for some specific cancers in the UK.

"We are thrilled that our equipment is enabling Medical Detection Dogs to carry out their vital research into better early ways to detect cancer reliably."