Win by a nose

An interdisciplinary team of scientists at

is developing a molecular nose, a multiplexed sensor platform that can deconstruct a cell and distinguish its individual components.

It could help in the understanding of cellular networks and assist in the development of drugs.

According to Prof Walter Kolch, lead investigator on the project, only one of 30 drug compounds that go through clinical trials enters the commercial market.

'With the molecular nose, you could take a number of drugs that have known side effects and establish the signature patterns for the side effects. The nose will also identify the efficacy signature patterns in a drug, so you could look for others with similar patterns.

'You could then devise a quite efficient pre-screening system for drug development,' said Kolch.

Readouts from the nose will reveal signature patterns of cellular networks, which will allow the researchers to see how the components interact with each other.

'When you stimulate a cell with a growth effect or a hormone, the cell will do the exact same thing every time. We know the components of the cell, but we don't know how the components respond to stimulation,' said Kolch.