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Biomarkers or chemical concentrations linked to lung cancer in human breath can be detected by honeybees that – amazingly – can also distinguish among different types of malignancy via only the “smell’ of the cell cultures.
Comparing healthy and synthetic breath mixtures
Elyssa Cox, Saha’s former lab manager, and Michael Parnas, a doctoral candidate working in Saha’s lab, developed a “recipe” for a synthetic breath mixture using different levels of six compounds such as trichloroethylene and 2-methylheptane to create the chemical makeup of the breath of someone with lung cancer and a synthetic healthy breath mixture.
“It took a steady hand to create the recipe,” said Cox. “We tested the synthetic lung cancer versus healthy human breath mixtures on about 20 bees.”
“What’s amazing is the honeybee’s ability to not only detect cancer cells but also distinguish among cell lines of various types,” said Autumn McLane-Svoboda. “The future implications for this are huge as our sensor could allow for patients to receive specific cancer diagnoses quickly, which is imperative for correct treatment routes.”