Let’s be honest, there are times when a good sense of smell comes in handy…when walking into a bakery, or even while enjoying a fresh cup of coffee. Unfortunately, some people are born without the ability to detect odours. Sure, there are scents most of us would like to avoid, but overall, it’s useful to have the option. It’s therefore fortunate that the recent work of some researchers could one day lead to a cure for those who can’t smell.
Turns out there is a gene that, when mutated, causes people to be born without a sense of smell. Essentially, a defective gene means no instructions for nasal cells on how to work properly. The solution? Deliver a good copy of the instructions to patients’ noses – directly to their noses.
So what are these scientists up to? Well first, they became inspired by the common cold virus. Specifically, scientists were intrigued by the virus’s ability to infect us through our sinuses. Researchers then realized that this could be a new opportunity for drug delivery. Using the cold virus (minus the parts that cause illness), scientists infected the nasal cells of mice with DNA instructions on how to fix themselves. The result? The mice regained their ability to smell. Now that had to make finding cheese a lot easier.
