The unsuspected talents of ants to detect cancer

The dog’s infallible sense of smell could well be dethroned by a tiny insect that researchers have long known has a remarkable sense of smell. But what is this little wonder of nature that could offer a new non-invasive method to detect cancers cheaply and painlessly? If, according to the fable, the ant is not lending, it is extremely efficient and quickly learns to distinguish the VOCs emitted by cancer cells.

We already knew the detector dogs of cancer. Now, we learn that some ants would also be able to differentiate cancerous human cells from healthy cells thanks to their smell. Before finding these little beasts in hospitals, many clinical tests must still be carried out. Will cancer be detected by ants ? This is the crazy bet of a team of researchers who are currently working on this track. This method would represent a less invasive and less expensive alternative to current means of detection.

CNRS researchers from the Sorbonne Paris Nord University, the Curie Institute and Inserm have spotted a species of ants whosesmell is particularly developed: formica fusca. The results of their study are published in the review IScience.

To carry out their research, the scientists carried out tests with 36 ants. First, the specialists exposed them to the smell of a sample of cancer cells human. This odor was subsequently associated with a sweet solution reward. Next, the researchers exposed the ants to two different smells. One was a new smell and the second was cancer cells. Once this test was successful, the researchers exposed the ants to different cancer cells.

” Ants distinguish between cancerous and healthy cells and between two cancerous lineages “. After learning, the formica fusca are able to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by cancer cells. Before being used on a large scale, the effectiveness of this method must be evaluated through clinical tests on a complete human organismrecalls the CNRS. But this first study shows the high potential of ants, able to learn very quickly, at a lower cost, while being effective “.

The sense of smell of ants is more effective than that of dogs

This is not the first time that scientists have used animal sense of smell to spot cancer cells. ” dog’s nose is well suited to diagnostic medical and used for the detection of cancer-specific volatile organic compounds “, recognize the researchers. However, their training requires several months. Conversely, ” insects can be easily bred under controlled conditions, they are inexpensive, they have a highly developed olfactory system, and hundreds of individuals can be conditioned with very little testing “, explain the researchers.