The bitter taste of certain drugs is a barrier to taking some medications as prescribed, especially for people who are particularly sensitive to bitter taste. A Monell team found that the diabetes drug rosiglitazone could partially block the bitter taste of some especially bad-tasting medications.
The overall goal of the team is to discover fundamental rules and mechanisms that govern information storage, namely how memories are made and stored. The teams will be looking for and measuring changes in neural circuitry that correspond to memory formation.
A new study in Cell Metabolism by a team from the Monell Chemical Senses Center unravels the internal neural wiring of separate fat and sugar craving pathways in a mouse model. However, combining these pathways overly triggers a desire to eat more than usual.
A research team from the Monell Chemical Senses Center demonstrated, using a novel quantitative analysis, that the neuronal response to odors undergoes some modifications in the nose. Such early processing of olfactory signals is a result of interactions between olfactory receptor neurons and the neighboring trigeminal neurons.
Registration is open for a visionary conference titled, “Towards Universal Chemosensory Testing.” The Monell Chemical Senses Center, with colleagues from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), The Ohio State University, and the University of Florida, organized this conference with the overarching goal to involve multiple stakeholders to develop strategies for implementing routine chemosensory testing – smell, taste, and related senses – across the lifespan as a part of healthcare in the United States.
A multidisciplinary research group specializing in pediatrics, genetics, and psychophysics, co-led by the Monell Chemical Senses Center, has identified wide variation in the sensory perception of a pediatric formulation of ibuprofen — some that were tied to genetic ancestry, and some that were not.
A new study published in iScience, by Hong Wang, PhD, an Associate Member at the Monell Chemical Sense Center, and colleagues sheds light on the mechanisms involved in the complex interplay between taste perception and immune function. Their work also highlights the potential of a sequencing tool for investigating epigenetic mechanisms that affect taste-cell gene expression.
Smell loss became the cardinal symptom of COVID-19 early in the pandemic and has ignited research on how smell and taste function. An international study led by the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research (GCCR) and the Monell Chemical Senses Center has untied taste from smell in people with COVID-19, demonstrating in a large and diverse group of more than 10,000 people that taste, independent of smell, is also greatly impacted by COVID.
After an international search, the Board of Directors of the Monell Chemical Senses Center announces that Benjamin P.C. Smith, PhD, Director of the Singapore Future Ready Food Safety Hub, will be the next Monell Director and President.
The Monell Chemical Senses Center, with colleagues from Massachusetts General Hospital, The Ohio State University, and University of Florida, has received funding from the NIH Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders to organize a visionary conference titled, “Towards Universal Chemosensory Testing.” The overarching goal is to involve multiple stakeholders to develop strategies for implementing routine chemosensory testing - smell, taste, and related senses - across the lifespan as a part of US healthcare.
The smell test SCENTinel 1.1 can successfully discriminate between different types of smell disorders. The paper, published in Chemical Senses, also provides evidence that it is the only direct olfactory test to rapidly identify parosmia, the distorted perception of odors.
Reports of taste loss are genuine in people with COVID-19 and indistinguishable from smell loss. The new study examines the prevalence of taste loss in COVID-19 patients and how the way the symptom was measured might impact the prevalence estimate.
The Monell Chemical Senses Center, a global leader in taste and smell research, announced today it has received a grant of up to $26 million from its founding benefactor, The Ambrose Monell Foundation. The funding represents the largest single donation the Center has received since its founding, securing its position as the premier independent basic research institute for taste, smell, and related senses.
Knowing the distinct patterns of demographics, medical history, and quality-of-life issues associated with the smell distortion disorders parosmia and phantosmia may provide insight into the organization and function of the olfactory system, as well as help physicians better treat their patients.
Amber L. Alhadeff, PhD, an assistant member at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, has been awarded the 2021 Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology for her research on how gut-brain connections in the brain influence eating behavior.
Scientists from the Monell Chemical Senses Center describe the first-in-human demonstration of a signaling pathway that uses the sugar glucose, a component of table sugar and high fructose corn syrup, to signal the presence of calories, in addition to the well-studied sweet-taste receptor in taste buds.
Toiling away in the background, our senses of taste and smell are underappreciated. On September 14, the organizers of first-ever World Taste and Smell Day invite you to celebrate the joys of scent and flavor.
While experimenting in the laboratory, investigators put the extra virgin olive oil into a mayonnaise-like material that would be easier for sensory study participants to assess, rather than drinking unadulterated EVOO from a drinking glass, as is commonly done for EVOO tasting. They discovered that after several hours the oil-mayo mixture was much less pungent and bitter. Even a small amount of egg yolk in the mixture was sufficient to cause this reduction.
Monell researchers found that flies use two distinct types of gustatory (taste) receptor neurons (GRNs), which are analogous to taste receptor cells in mammals, to discriminate slightly from highly sour foods. One group of GRNs are maximally activated by low acidity, while the other group responds to high acidity.
Insulin plays a critical role in the maturation, after injury, of immature olfactory sensory neurons. Applying insulin into the nasal passage could be developed as a therapy for injury caused by a host of issues.
The Monell Chemical Senses Center has received a two-year, $890,000 grant from the Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation. Monell scientists and collaborators will develop a new way to classify fever-inducing diseases using distinct signatures of volatile chemicals from urine and saliva.
A Monell Chemical Senses Center and Temple University team recently became part of a new, multi-institute National Institute of Health (NIH)-funded initiative called the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostic Radical program (RADx). The NIH invested $107 million at 43 institutions across the country to support non-traditional and repurposed technologies to combat the pandemic and address future viral disease outbreaks.
Studies that used direct measures versus self-report of smell loss could explain the a wide range of estimates - studies using direct measures, about 77% of COVID-19 patients had smell loss versus only 44% with self-report. Direct measures of smell ability involve having patients smell and report on actual odorants, whereas self-report methods include obtaining data through patient questionnaires, interviews, or electronic health records. Direct measures are objective whereas self-report are subjective measures of a person’s experience.
Amber Alhadeff, PhD, the newest faculty member at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, has been awarded a 2020 Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Award in Neurosciences, totaling $225,000 over three years.
Liking of fatty food is more complex than its fat content alone – it could also be related to inborn genetic traits of the consumer related to fat perception.
Newly discovered chemical-sensing cells in the gums protect the mouth by standing guard against infections that damage soft tissue and destroy the bone that supports the teeth. With the help of bitter taste receptors that also detect byproducts from harmful bacteria, these special gum cells trigger the immune system to control the amount and type of bacteria in the mouth and could one day lead to personalized dental treatments against gum disease.
PHILADELPHIA (July 22, 2019) -- Nancy E. Rawson, PhD, has been appointed Vice President of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, effective immediately. A highly accomplished scientist and leader, Rawson will work closely with Monell Director and President Robert Margolskee, MD, PhD, on implementing a new strategic plan to guide Monell’s future.
New research from the Monell Center analyzed nearly 400,000 food reviews posted by Amazon customers to gain real-world insight into the food choices that people make. The findings reveal that many people find the foods in today’s marketplace to be too sweet.
A new study shows that small changes in a single olfactory receptor gene can affect how strong and pleasant a person finds an odor. The findings expand understanding of how olfactory receptors in the nose encode information about the properties of odors even before that information reaches the brain.
Scientists from the Monell Center report that functional olfactory receptors are present in human taste cells. The findings suggest that interactions between the senses of smell and taste, the primary components of food flavor, may begin on the tongue and not in the brain, as previously thought.
Scientists have used a combination of mathematical modeling, electrophysiology, and computer simulations to explain how cells communicate effectively in highly constricted spaces such as the olfactory cilia. The findings will inform future studies of cellular signaling in the olfactory system and other confined spaces of the nervous system.
The Monell Center and Thomas Jefferson University announce the funding of five collaborative pilot grants for projects that combine Monell’s research on the senses of taste and smell with Jefferson’s complementary strengths in the basic and clinical neurosciences.
Patient talks will inform scientists and clinicians on etiology and impact
Research from the Monell Center extends the scope and significance of personal odors as a source of information about an individual’s health. A new paper reveals that the bodily odors of otherwise healthy animals sharing an environment with sick animals become like the odors of the sick animals.
New research from the Monell Center suggests that a little-understood sensory cell may protect the vulnerable olfactory epithelium by detecting and initiating defenses against viruses, bacteria, and other potentially harmful invaders.
A new collaboration grant to Discovery BioMed and the Monell Center will support development of next-generation screening technologies to identify bitter taste blockers. The work will advance health by improving the taste and acceptability of nutritious plant-based foods and increasing patient willingness to take life-saving oral medicines.
The Monell Center and Jefferson (Philadelphia University and Thomas Jefferson University) announce the signing of a one-year Agreement of Cooperation, outlining how the two institutions will collaborate over the next year to develop joint scientific programs and clinical opportunities to advance their shared mission of improving human health.
By educating physicians about unique properties of the olfactory system, Monell scientist Pamela Dalton, PhD, MPH, seeks to increase understanding of stigmas associated with incontinence
The Monell Center, in partnership with the University of Florida Center for Smell and Taste and the Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, will host an interdisciplinary two-day conference in November 2018 to establish a roadmap for treatment-focused research on smell and taste disorders. The “Identifying Treatments for Taste and Smell Disorders” meeting will include sessions focused on the science of sensory disorders and their treatment and also on patient education.
Lee O’Neill, MBA, has been appointed as the new Director for Finance & Administrative Services for the Monell Chemical Senses Center, effective May 1, 2018. He succeeds John K.T. Tran, MS, CRA, who is retiring after serving 30 years as Monell’s Finance Director.
February 27 is Anosmia Awareness Day. Many people don’t appreciate what it means to be unable to smell. As someone with congenital anosmia, I know first-hand what it feels like to go through each day without the sense of smell.
Research from the Monell Center documented wide individual differences to the taste of the life-saving HIV medication Kaletra and identified genetic sources of the taste variation. The findings suggest that the growing field of pharmacogenetics should assess the sensory response to medicines to promote medication compliance and treatment success.
Leadership at Jefferson and the Monell Center announced today the signing of a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) to move forward with discussions of merging the two organizations.
A significant technological advance from the Monell Center now allows scientists to identify the complete set of genes in any type of taste receptor cell. The technology will help identify precisely how each cell carries out its specific function.
A new study from the Monell Center and collaborating institutions advances understanding of how stem cells on the tongue grow into the different types of mature taste cells that detect either sweet, salty, sour, bitter, or umami. The findings may someday allow scientists to treat taste disorders, characterize new taste qualities, or even fine-tune a person’s taste perception to encourage healthier eating.
A new study of older U.S. adults from the Monell Center and collaborating institutions reports that a woman’s social life is associated with how well her sense of smell functions. The study found that older women who do less well on a smell identification task also tend to have fewer social connections.
A study from the Monell Center and collaborators provides new insight into the causes of trimethylaminura (TMAU), a genetically-transmitted metabolic disorder that leads to accumulation of a chemical that smells like rotting fish. Previously attributed solely to mutations in the FMO3 gene, the study identifies additional genes that may contribute to TMAU. The findings indicate that genetic testing to identify FMO3 mutations may not be sufficient to identify all underlying causes of TMAU.
A new grant from the Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation will allow Monell scientists and collaborators to confirm initial findings of a unique odor pattern for ovarian cancer. The multi-disciplinary team will use the information to customize a portable screening device that can diagnose the deadly disease at early, treatable stages.
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