A new study recently suggested that in the future, ants could become better than dogs in terms of locating cancerous cells in humans.
According to a Mail Online report, ants are capable of sniffing out cancerous cells in humans, a new study showed suggesting they could be used for diagnosis of cancer in the future.
Ants have the ability to sniff out cancer in humans, study reveals https://t.co/3mycA6tFDR
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) March 9, 2022
The French National Centre for Scientific Research researchers found that ant species Formica Fusca in particular has a "well-developed sense of smell."
It was able to distinguish cancerous cells from healthy ones in humans because of their sense of smell, as revealed in limited trials. There are more clinical tests needed to be carried out though before they could be used in clinical settings like hospitals, the researchers said.
36 Ants Studied
To conduct their study, the team performed tests with 36 ants that smelled cells under a laboratory setting. First, the researchers exposed the ants to the smell of a specimen of cancerous human cells. This odor was then linked to a reward of sugar solution.
In the succeeding step, the research team exposed the ants to two different smells. One was a new odor and the other, was the cancerous cells' smell. Upon attaining the success of the test, the team exposed the ants to different cancerous cells.
As such, the study authors discovered that ants are discriminating between cancerous and healthy cells, and "between two cancerous lines." After their training, the Formica fusca ants are able to detect organic compounds released by cancerous cells.
Fast, Inexpensive, and Effective Method
CNRS pointed out in a news release, before being employed on a large scale, this method's efficacy needs to be examined using clinical trials on humans.
However, this study published in iScience, shows that ants have a high potential, are able to learn very fast, at lower cost, not to mention, are efficient.
This is not the first time researchers have used the animal's sense of smell to detect cancerous cells. The researchers also explained, the noses of dogs are well suited for "medical diagnosis and used for the detection of cancer-specific, volatile organic compounds. Nonetheless, training them to do so needs several months to one year.
Insects, on the other hand, can be simply reared in controlled conditions, they are cost-oriented, they have a very well-developed olfactory system and hundreds of individuals can be conditioned with very few trials, explained the researchers.
Potential for Detection of Diseases and More
In this research, the team was able to manage to combine the advantages of dog training and brain imaging, and limit the disadvantages of both approaches by providing a protocol that's not expensive, fast and easily carried out, effective, and does not need intensive academic training for trainers.
The study investigators explained, therefore, ants represent a "fast, efficient, inexpensive and highly discriminant detection tool" for identifying cancer cell volatiles.
Their method could potentially be modified to a range of other complex odor detection tasks which include the detection of explosives, narcotics, spoiled foods, or other diseases such as infections, malaria, and diabetes, among others.
As for cancer detection, the study will now aim to broaden the range of cancer-related odors that can be identified by ants, moving to the detection of body-emitted smells.
Related information about the sense of smell in ants is shown on Science Magazine's YouTube video below:
Check out more news and information on Insects and Cancer in Science Times.
