The Monell Chemical Senses Center is a non-profit independent scientific institute located at the

University City Science Center The University City Science Center (UCSC) was established as the first and largest urban research park in the United States. It was established in 1963, within the demolished Black Bottom neighborhood of Philadelphia, now known as University Cit ...

campus in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Monell conducts and publishes interdisciplinary basic research on

taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

, smell, and

chemesthesis Chemesthesis is the chemical sensitivity of the skin and mucous membranes. Chemesthetic sensations arise when chemical compounds activate receptors associated with other senses that mediate pain, touch, and thermal perception. These chemical-induc ...

(chemically mediated skin senses, such as the burn of

capsaicin Capsaicin (8-methyl-''N''-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) ( or ) is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus ''Capsicum''. It is a chemical irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning ...

or the tingle of carbonation).

Overview

Monell was founded in 1968. The center's mission is to advance knowledge of the mechanisms and functions of the chemical senses. Knowledge gained from Monell’s research is relevant to issues related to

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

, national

health policy Health policy can be defined as the "decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals within a society".World Health Organization''Health Policy'' accessed 22 March 2011(Web archive)/ref> According to the ...

, and

quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...

, including studies of

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

, pediatric health,

occupational safety Occupational safety and health (OSH), also commonly referred to as occupational health and safety (OHS), occupational health, or occupational safety, is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at wor ...

, environmental interactions, and national defense. Monell has a staff of more than 50 scientists and provides research opportunities for local high school and undergraduate students. Situated in Philadelphia’s University City Science Center, the center occupies two buildings with a total of . Monell is operated as a non-profit organization and receives funding from government grants, primarily from the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

through the

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), a member of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is mandated to conduct and support biomedical and behavioral research and research training in the normal and disor ...

and the

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is part of the United States National Institutes of Health, which in turn is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. NIDDK is approximately the fifth-largest ...

, as well as from private foundations and unrestricted corporate gifts.

Research

Selected achievements

* Characterized the first sweet-tasting protein, “

Monellin Monellin, a sweet protein, was discovered in 1969 in the fruit of the West African shrub known as serendipity berry (''Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii''); it was first reported as a carbohydrate.GE Inglett, JF May. Serendipity berries - Source of a n ...

,” broadening the concept of sweet taste * Demonstrated that

body odor Body odor or body odour (BO) is present in all animals and its intensity can be influenced by many factors (behavioral patterns, survival strategies). Body odor has a strong genetic basis, but can also be strongly influenced by various diseases ...

s can signal disease even before appearance of overt symptoms * Revealed critical role of perinatal experience in establishing flavor preferences of infants, children, and adults * Described role of liver chemosensors in control of appetite and satiety. * Established that genetically-determined odortypes provide signals of individual identity. * Developed the

labeled magnitude scale The labeled magnitude scale (LMS) is a scaling technique which uses quasi- logarithmic spacing. The scale consists of different intensities and subjects are asked to put a mark on the line where they think they intensity of the sensation fits. Re ...

to reliably measure human sensory perception. * Pioneered use of living human tissue to characterize human olfactory and taste cell function. * Identified the ''Sac'' locus coding for the

TAS1R3 Taste receptor type 1 member 3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''TAS1R3'' gene. The ''TAS1R3'' gene encodes the human homolog of mouse Sac taste receptor, a major determinant of differences between sweet-sensitive and -insensitive ...

receptor, one of the receptors for the sweet taste. * Established use of chemosignals as effective nonlethal means of vertebrate pest control. * Demonstrated the role of diet in adult preference for salty taste. * Combined sensory and genetic approaches to document unique sensory worlds for every individual. * Used sensory properties of olive oil to identify

oleocanthal Oleocanthal is a phenylethanoid, or a type of natural phenolic compound found in extra-virgin olive oil. It appears to be responsible for the burning sensation that occurs in the back of the throat when consuming such oil. Oleocanthal is a tyroso ...

, a novel anti-inflammatory compound.

Social decisions and olfactory cues in children

In 2016, Monell announced that it had completed research that found toddlers use sensory information to make social decisions. The study included 140 children between the ages of three and eleven years old. Each child was exposed for three seconds to odors from fish, rose, or a

placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...

. The children were then immediately shown pictures of the same person with a disgusted face and a happy face and asked to choose one. The children then were asked about how pleasant the odor was. Children five and under generally chose the happy face regardless of the odor they were presented with. Starting around age five, children generally selected faces based on the pleasantness of the odor. For example, being exposed to the fish odor boosted their likelihood of choosing the disgusted face.

Food

In 2019, Monell published a paper in the journal ''Physiology & Behavior'' that included an analysis of about 400,000 food reviews posted on Amazon. Monell scientists concluded that most common complaint about food items is that they were too sweet. They also found that saltiness was almost never mentioned. The researchers suggested that differences in the perception of food tastes were due to genetics. They used "big data" methods to conduct their analysis of the reviews.

Publications

Monell publishes a quarterly electronic newsletter dedicated to news about the center's activities and the latest information on relevant science.

Notable members

* Alexander Bachmanov *

Gary Beauchamp Dr. Gary K. Beauchamp was the director and president of the Monell Chemical Senses Center from August 1990 to September 2014. Dr. Beauchamp graduated from Carleton College in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in biology. He received his Ph.D. in ...

* Paul Breslin * Pamela Dalton *

Alan Gelperin Dr. Alan Gelperin is a scientist and biologist currently at Princeton University. He is an emeritus faculty member at Monell Chemical Senses Center. He specializes in Electronic nose, electronic olfaction and computational neuroscience. He receiv ...

Robert Margolskee Robert F. Margolskee is an American academic. He is the director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center and adjunct professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Margolskee is also the a co-founder of Redpoint ...

* Julie Mennella * George Preti * Danielle Reed * Michael Tordoff * Henry G. Walter Jr. * Charles Wysocki *

Kunio Yamazaki Dr. Kunio Yamazaki was a biologist who worked at the Monell Chemical Senses Center from 1980 until his death. Yamazaki is most notable for his extensive work with the major histocompatibility complex. He has worked with Dr. Gary Beauchamp Dr. ...

References

External links

* Research institutes in Pennsylvania Independent research institutes Neuroscience research centers in the United States Gustation Olfaction Companies based in Philadelphia Buildings and structures in Philadelphia University City, Philadelphia {{coord, 39.9558, -75.1931, region:US-PA_type:edu, display=title