Monell Chemical Senses Center : organisation et mission de l’entreprise
Welcome to the Monell Chemical Senses Center, an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institute based in the University City Science Center of Philadelphia. The Monell Chemical Senses Center (Monell) is the world’s only nonprofit basic research institute devoted to the study of taste, smell, and chemical irritation. Its mission is to advance knowledge of the mechanisms and functions of the chemical senses to benefit human health and well-being.
Mission, portée scientifique et domaines d’impact
Chemosensory science is more than just taste and smell research. It is about discovering how our bodies detect and respond to chemical stimuli in the world within us, and around us. Monell’s interdisciplinary research relates to significant public health and quality-of-life issues across the lifespan, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, pediatric health, occupational safety, and environmental issues. Monell researchers study whether loss of smell can serve as an early indicator of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
We are discovering how chemical signaling between the brain and gut impacts our nutritional state by influencing what we eat, when, and how much. New research from the Monell Center suggests that our brains treat sugars differently, depending on the type. They report in Neuron that fructose sends a weaker "I'm full" signal to the brain than glucose does, which can ultimately influence what and how much we decide to eat. We now understand that flavor preferences are shaped by our mother’s diet, even before we are born, and that reducing sodium in our diets helps us learn to prefer less salty tasting food.
Impact de la perte des sens chimiques et urgence actuelle
As a result of COVID-19, more than 20 million people are expected to have permanent smell and/or taste loss. Today, with this new spotlight on the health challenges resulting from chemosensory loss, advancing the Monell Center’s mission is now more urgent than ever. Our senses help us navigate the world, protect us from danger, and shape how we experience daily life. This matters because smell quietly shapes safety, nutrition, and connection, and we cannot understand or support what we do not measure well.
The most important finding is not any single difference. Differences in olfactory function between autistic and non-autistic individuals were clearest when assessed with psychophysical testing and informant reports, and largely invisible in self-report and odor-rating measures. The takeaway is about method: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗲-𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻.
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Organisation interne, leadership et formation
Under the leadership of new Executive Director and President Benjamin P.C. Smith, PhD, we are expanding our scientific enterprise in exciting new directions. Meet Monell Executive Director and President Benjamin P.C. Smith. In this interview he reflects on leadership and why our senses matter. Executive Director: Benjamin P.C.
Monell has an education and training program for postdoctoral scientists, senior scientists, and graduate students. It has an education and training program for postdoctoral scientists, senior scientists, graduate students, and a summer internship program for high school and college students. The Monell Center is an independent non-profit science institute that conducts basic research on the chemical senses. A leader in scientific discovery, Monell's world-class scientists advance understanding of taste and smell to benefit human health and well-being.
Ressources, communication et engagement public
Monell is a resource for information about the chemical senses for the public, medical professionals, the media, and academics. Introducing Sense Making, a new monthly podcast from the Monell Center! Through cinematic storytelling, conversations with scientists, historians, and sensory experts, and research grounded in the science of smell, taste, and human perception, Sense Making explores the hidden systems shaping how we eat, remember, feel, and sense the world. Join us for Sense Making from the Monell Center. From how disease changes the chemical signals our bodies release, to the remarkable ability of animals to detect illness, to the ways pollution reshapes animal behavior and ecosystems, this episode reveals how invisible chemical cues connect every living organism to its environment.
Implantation, développement des infrastructures et impact économique
We are proud and excited to announce that after 57 years advancing sensory science in our current home, Monell is moving to One uCity Square where we are creating a truly world-class home for research in taste, smell, and related senses. The new facilities will strengthen our ability to advance groundbreaking science, open new opportunities for collaboration and innovation, attract top talent, and drive health breakthroughs that improve lives around the world.
By implementing our master facilities plan, we will have the capacity to add up to 50 jobs to a highly diverse workforce (59% women/57% people of color). RACP funding will enhance the Monell physical environment needed to recruit these new hires and empower their research. The renovations will have immediate and long-term benefit to the local and state economy with far-reaching impact on human health worldwide. Monell has a long history of using local sub-contractors at prevailing wages.
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During the open house, co-hosted by Philadelphia City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, guests were welcomed into Monell’s newly renovated space, Monell’s newly renovated space, made possible with our first-ever RACP grant and support from the Monell Foundation. Our guests discussed the Center’s contributions to Pennsylvania’s workforce and life sciences economy and participated in hands-on science demonstrations. Elected officials and their representatives from city, state, and federal offices joined in cutting the ceremonial ribbon to celebrate the successful completion of Phase I of the master facilities plan.
Emploi et diversité
By implementing our master facilities plan, we will have the capacity to add up to 50 jobs to a highly diverse workforce (59% women/57% people of color). Monell has a long history of using local sub-contractors at prevailing wages.
| Élément | Détails |
|---|---|
| Statut | Independent, nonprofit biomedical research institute |
| Domaines | Taste, smell, chemical irritation, chemosensory science |
| Programmes de formation | Postdoctorat, chercheurs seniors, doctorants, stages été |
| Expansion | Déplacement vers One uCity Square, capacité +50 emplois |
| Financement des locaux | RACP grant, Monell Foundation |
Recherche emblématique et collaborations
We are discovering how chemical signaling between the brain and gut impacts our nutritional state by influencing what we eat, when, and how much. New research from the Monell Center suggests that our brains treat sugars differently, depending on the type. They report in Neuron that fructose sends a weaker "I'm full" signal to the brain than glucose does, which can ultimately influence what and how much we decide to eat.
We now understand that flavor preferences are shaped by our mother’s diet, even before we are born, and that reducing sodium in our diets helps us learn to prefer less salty tasting food. Monell researchers study whether loss of smell can serve as an early indicator of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Publications et contributions scientifiques
Olfactory Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - Isabelle Cullen, Elisa Dal Bò, Peace Maddox, Thomas Sophocles, Kristina McShea, Edward S. Enormous thanks to Isabelle Cullen and Elisa Dal Bò, whose rigor and dedication carried this work from protocol to publication, and to the full team behind it: Peace Maddox, Thomas Sophocles, Kristina McShea, and Edward S.
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Soutien à la formation de la prochaine génération
The Manheimer Scholarship was established by global taste and nutrition leader Kerry Group to spur innovation in flavor science by supporting the education of flavor scientists like Yixin and Aurora. It has an education and training program for postdoctoral scientists, senior scientists, graduate students, and a summer internship program for high school and college students.
Comment Monell communique et invite à l’engagement
Monell is a resource for information about the chemical senses for the public, medical professionals, the media, and academics. Our guests discussed the Center’s contributions to Pennsylvania’s workforce and life sciences economy and participated in hands-on science demonstrations. Join us for Sense Making from the Monell Center.
Introducing Sense Making, a new monthly podcast from the Monell Center! This episode begins with one of the most familiar sensations we experience every year: the smell of spring. Through the voices of Monell scientists, host Christopher Maute unpacks how invisible odor molecules become meaningful experiences inside the brain - from the challenge of scientifically controlling smell itself, to how odor memories are formed, to the surprising relationship between scent, emotion, and mental health.
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