Want to discover cancer as soon as possible?Try grasshopper!

Text ｜ Li Muzi

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Studies by American scientists show that locusts can not only "sniff" the differences between cancer cells and healthy cells, but also distinguish between different cancer cells. Researchers say that this work can provide the basis for the device that uses insect sensory neurons, so that early testing of cancer can be achieved through breathing.

A few days ago, the researchers shared the research on Biorxiv, a pre -printing platform.

People are accustomed to using technologies that enhance or surpass natural senses. For example, telescope and microscope can reveal the unsight world of the naked eye. But "the nose is still the most advanced," Debajit Saha, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Michigan State University, said, "In terms of gas sensing, there is really nothing to compare with them." This is what we believe in dogs and them "super The smell of drugs and explosives can be detected.

Scientists are studying a technology that can imitate the sense of smell, but nothing they design cannot be comparable to the speed, sensitivity and specificity of biological smell.

The gas sensing device creates opportunities for early detection of the disease, especially cancer and other diseases. Early intervention can save more lives. When cancer is in the first stage, 80%to 90%of the patients have the opportunity to survive, but if it is not discovered in the fourth stage, this ratio will fall to 10%to 20%.

The working principle of cancer cells is different from healthy cells, and they will produce different compounds during work and growth. If these chemicals enter the patient's lungs or respiratory tract, they can be detected in the exhaled gas.

"Theoretically, you can breathe in the device. The latter will be able to detect and distinguish the type of cancer, and even determine what stage the disease is.

Therefore, the Saha team is developing a new technology. They thought: Why not start from a solution that has evolved in hundreds of millions of years of biology? Saha said the group was basically the brain of "invasion" insects in order to use it for disease diagnosis. "This is a new field that almost no one explores," he said.

The reason why Saha and his team chose locusts as their research objects is because locusts are the same as fruit flies. For decades, they have been a model creature in the scientific community. Researchers know their olfactory sensors and corresponding neural circuits. Moreover, locusts are larger and stronger than fruit flies.

The combination of these features enables researchers to easily connect the electrode to the locust's brain. Then, they recorded the reaction of insects to gas samples produced by healthy cells and cancer cells, and then used these signals to create chemical maps of different cells.

The research priorities of Christopher Contag at the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics of Michigan State University are to understand why oral cancer cells have a unique appearance under microscope and optical tools. His laboratory found different metabolites in different cell lines, which helps explain optical differences. The results show that some of the metabolites are volatile, which means that they can spread and smell through the air.

"These cells look very different in metabolism, and they are different in optics." Conta said, "We think it is meaningful to analyze them from the perspective of volatile objects."

Saha's locust sensor provides a perfect test platform. These two research teams are cooperating to study that locusts use three different oral cancer cells to distinguish health cells from cancer cells.

"We expect that the appearance of cancer cells will be different from normal cells." Conta said, "If these bugs can distinguish three different cancers, it is really amazing."

Although the research results are concentrated in oral cancer, researchers believe that their systems can also detect most other cancer types. However, don't worry about seeing a group of insects in the doctor's office -the goal of researchers is to develop a closed portable sensor that does not include insects.

Related thesis information:

https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.05.24.493311

"China Science News" (2022-08-09 The second edition of the original title "Locust can" smell "human cancer")

Edit | Zhao Lu

Capture | Zhihai

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