Locusts can help in early detection of cancer, finds study

Locusts are well known as the ‘swarming phase’ of short-horned, solitary grasshoppers. Now, a novel research has unfolded their unique trait which can give them a new identity: of super sniffers who can differentiate different odours, including those released by cancer cells. Cancer cells create different chemical compounds which could potentially be detected in exhaled breath.?

This uncanny knack of locusts, scientists believe, can help in early detection of cancer and save precious lives, given that patients have an 80% to 90% chance of survival if cancer is detected at stage one. Researchers contend that locusts can do more than just sniff out the difference between cancer cells and healthy cells; they can also help identify different cancer cell lines. This pioneering work could pave the way for developing?devices employing insect sensory neurons to enable early cancer detection using the patient’s breath.

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