MOLLY CARTLEDGE ANALYSES THE LATEST NEWS ACROSS THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
A new study has revealed that honeybees may hold the key to detecting lung cancer. Researchers found that honeybee neurons could distinguish cancer-related biomarkers in synthetic breath samples with remarkable accuracy as their antennal lobes contain highly specialised olfactory neurons that respond distinctly to different odours.
The research team explored whether honeybees (Apis mellifera), renowned for their extraordinary sense of smell, could be trained to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with lung cancer. These compounds, which are released in human breath and differ between healthy and cancerous states, have been studied as potential non-invasive biomarkers for years. By recording neural activity from these lobes, scientists were able to monitor how bees reacted to VOCs linked with lung cancer.
To conduct the experiment, researchers created synthetic breath samples containing a controlled mix of VOCs that mimic the chemical profile of human breath. These samples included biomarkers produced by both lung cancer cell lines and healthy cells.
When exposed to these odours, the bees’ neural activity was recorded using electrodes. Advanced machine learning models were then applied to decode the bees’ responses. Remarkably, the system could distinguish between cancer and non-cancer samples with high accuracy.
Analysis of bee neural activity revealed a classification accuracy of around 94 per cent when detecting lung cancer VOCs. Even more encouraging, the bees could also distinguish between different lung cancer cell lines, suggesting a potential for identifying cancer subtypes. This level of accuracy rivals, and in some cases exceeds, many current diagnostic technologies, especially considering the low cost and accessibility of honeybees compared to advanced medical equipment.
Lung cancer is often diagnosed late, when treatment options are limited and survival rates are low. The experiments used synthetic breath samples in controlled conditions rather than real human breath so clinical studies will be needed to confirm whether bees can detect cancer in more complex, real-world environments. By leveraging their extraordinary sense of smell, researchers hope to pioneer low-cost, rapid, and accurate diagnostic tools for one of the most challenging cancers to detect early.