An Israeli startup is teaching mice how to detect lung cancer by smelling urine, and hopes to have the technology available in about 14 months.
The “Times of Israel” newspaper said that the “Early” company, which raised an investment of $ 6.2 million last year, hopes that mice trained with its system, which is patented in Israel, will be used around the world to process urine samples to eliminate waiting times.
Michele Marc Danieli, who founded the company in November 2019, explains to the newspaper: “We train the mice, then they are kept inside a small room, and when a urine sample arrives, a certain sound is made, so they know that they have to put their heads in the box containing the sample to smell it.” .
She added, “If the mouse takes out its head, this is a sign that the sample is free of lung cancer, while if it keeps its head inside, this means that the person with the sample has lung cancer.”
She noted that the rats succeeded in determining whether the urine sample came from an infected or uninfected person in 93 samples out of 100.
But these numbers are according to the company, as they have not been peer-reviewed.
She added that this technology is still in the research stage, “but” if all goes well, it should take about 14 months for us to be able to commercialize it.
And she added, “It was known that each cancer has its own odor signature, and we know that mice have an amazing sense of smell, which is a thousand times more sensitive in terms of smell than any human-made device.”
She pointed out that they have so far been dealing with lung cancer, and “we expect to continue to detect different types of cancers with high accuracy,” considering that this technique may become a common testing method, “and if this happens, it may save lives, by allowing easy access to diagnosis.” Early, without the need to wait for appointments for examination and x-rays.
Daniele declined to discuss the details of the training system, which is the company’s core intellectual property, noting that the company currently has 30 trained mice.
The company’s animal scientist, Itay Berger, said that the training system lasts for four months from birth, noting that they exploit two main characteristics enjoyed by mice.
He explained: “Mice have 40 percent more odor receptor genes than dogs, and in addition to their amazing sense of smell, they have super intelligence, and they are very quick learners.”