Fruit Flies Glow in the Presence of Cancer

Feb-05-14 In what may be the next generation of cancer diagnosis, researches have demonstrated the ability of the fruit fly to detect cancer, and then modified the tiny flies so that their antenna will glow in the presence of cancer odors.

The team, led by the Konstanz-based neurobiologist and zoologist Professor Dr. Giovanni Galizia, is the first to demonstrate the ability of the flies to ‘smell’ cancer. In their studies, they learned that single odorant molecules will attach to and activate the receptor neurons of the flies’ antenna. By genetically modifying the flies, the team was able to cause the flies’ antennae to glow in different patterns in the presence of cancer cells. Even more remarkable, lab tests showed that the glow patterns varied based on the type of cancer cell (breast cancer cells were used in the experiment).

According to Giovanni Galizia, "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.”

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[POPSCI.COM]
[UNIVERSITAT KONSTNAZ]

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