Researchers Use Fruit Flies' Olfactory Senses to Detect Cancer Cells

Researchers have now detected cancer cells using olfactory senses of fruit flies.

In a groundbreaking study, researchers at the University of Konstanz and the University La Sapienza, Rome show how the characteristic patterns in the olfactory receptors of transgenic fruit flies can be recorded and used to distinguish between healthy and cancerous cells.  

 "What really is new and spectacular about this result is the combination of objective, specific and quantifiable laboratory results and the extremely high sensitivity of a living being that cannot be matched by electronic noses or gas chromatography," Konstanz-based neurobiologist and zoologist Professor Dr. Giovanni Galizia said in a statement.

The natural olfactory systems can detect minute variations between healthy and cancer cells. Earlier experiments conducted on dogs, too, had found this association.

The study was based on the fact that the single molecule of the odorant ties itself to the receptor neurons of the drosophila's antenna, activating the neurons. For this study, the researchers developed an imaging technique.

They found that odorant molecules of the scent samples formed various patterns of activated neurons. These patterns fluoresce when seen under the microscope due to a genetic change. During the experiment, the researchers analyzed five different types of breast cancer cell lines and compared them to healthy cells.

"The high sensitivity of the natural olfactory receptors, paired with the quickness with which we can generate these test results, might lead to the development of a cheap, fast and highly-efficient pre-screening that can detect cancer cells well before we can discover them with the present diagnostic imaging techniques," said Giovanni Galizia.

The finding was published in the journal Scientific Report.