Honeybees can detect lung cancer through smell, say researchers
Honeybees demonstrated an 82% success rate in detecting lung cancer biomarkers, comparable to dogs' sense of smell.
Michigan State University researchers, led by Professor Devajit Saha, conducted a three-year study on honeybees' ability to detect lung cancer biomarkers in human breath.
The study used 3D-printed harnesses and electrodes attached to bees' brains to measure changes in neural signals when exposed to synthetic breath mixtures mimicking healthy and cancerous breath.
Honeybees detected nine lung cancer biomarkers at very low concentrations, even in the parts per 1 billion range, exceeding current medical techniques.
The bees could differentiate between small cell and non-small cell lung cancer samples, and potentially distinguish between various types of lung cancer cell lines.
Researchers aim to develop sensors inspired by honeybee brains for analyzing breath to detect cancer-causing chemicals.
This approach could revolutionize early lung cancer detection and diagnosis, potentially reducing the chance of death by up to 20% and leading to faster and more accurate cancer diagnoses.
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the U.S., with over 234,000 new cases estimated this year, and is a leading cause of cancer death globally.
Sources: ZME Science, RTT News, ExBulletin, Fox 35 Orlando, Fox 8, Fox 26 Houston, WFLA Orlando, Earth, CBS News, The Hill, Huffington Post
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
