The human nose detects many different combinations of molecules, which are then interpreted by the brain. It has around 300 varieties of olfactory receptors in the membrane surrounding cells lining the nasal passages, with each binding onto different kinds of molecule. Efforts to manufacture artificial receptors in the numbers needed have previously failed, as their structure simply breaks down if they are removed from the specific environment found in the membrane and exposed to moisture.

But the MIT team was able to develop a detergent solution which protected them during the production process. They then carried out basic tests which showed the manufactured proteins still had the ability to lock on to the molecules they needed to detect. The researchers said that any device they developed could be used to aid diagnosis of diseases, such as bladder, skin and lung cancers which all can give off distinctive molecules.