News

Press Releases

Detecting Urinary Odor Compounds Using Insect Olfaction
ーDevelopment of a Biohybrid Odor Sensor for Detecting Cancer-Related Volatile Compound Candidates－

A collaborative research group consisting of Researcher Hisatoshi Mimura and Subleader Toshihisa Osaki of the Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (KISTEC), Professor Shoji Takeuchi of the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo (also Cross-Appointed Professor at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo), and Senior Researcher Yasuhiko Takahashi of Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., has developed a biohybrid odor sensor that utilizes the olfactory mechanism of insects to detect volatile odor compounds contained in urine using living cells. The researchers demonstrated that cancer-related volatile compound candidates added to urine can be detected by combining hexane extraction with vapor-phase exposure.

Figure: Mechanism for detecting urinary odor compounds using living cells.

Urine can be collected easily and noninvasively, making it an attractive target for biomarker-based disease screening. In recent years, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in urine have been reported as potential biomarkers for diseases such as cancer. However, selectively and sensitively detecting specific volatile compounds from complex biological samples such as urine remains challenging. In addition, conventional cell-based odor sensors have faced limitations due to variability in cellular responses and weak signal intensity.

To address these challenges, the research group developed a cell-based multisensor array by encapsulating multiple types of cultured cells expressing insect-derived olfactory receptors in a high-density hydrogel matrix and arranging them on a custom-designed microwell plate. This structure reduced cell-to-cell variability and enhanced fluorescence signals, enabling stable and reliable detection. Furthermore, by extracting volatile compounds from urine using hexane and exposing the vaporized extract to the sensor cells, the researchers successfully detected acetophenone, a volatile compound that has been reported as a candidate cancer-related biomarker, when added to urine samples.

This technology represents a biohybrid odor sensor that leverages the superior molecular recognition capability of biological systems and may contribute to the future development of noninvasive biomarker screening technologies.

This study is one of the major achievements of the “Biohybrid Odor Sensor Utilizing Olfactory Receptors” project, supported by JST CREST (JPMJCR20C4).

The research results were published online in ACS Sensors at 4:00 a.m. (JST) on June 9, 2026.

Publication Information

Journal：ACS Sensors
Title：Cell-based multisensor array for vapor-phase detection of cancer-related compounds in human urine
Authors：H. Mimura, T. Osaki, H. Oda, S. Takamori, Y. Kodama, N. Sasaoka, Y. Takahashi, and S. Takeuchi
DOI：10.1021/acssensors.5c04942
URL：https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssensors.5c04942

(This English article was translated with the assistance of AI.)