IOCB Prague joins smellodi consortium

We are happy to announce, that IOCB Prague’s Chemistry of Social Insects research group, led by Robert Hanus, has recently become a part of SMELLODI. Robert Hanus has been enrolled in the Hop On Facility program of the European Commission, which aims to assist researchers from countries that joined the EU in later rounds of enlargement to participate in ongoing projects conducted by colleagues in original member states.

While his research group primarily focuses on studying the chemical communication of insects, they discovered that their gas chromatography method could also be utilized to differentiate and describe individual body odors accurately.

IOCB Prague brings not only cutting-edge technology to the project but also extensive knowledge in the field of chemical analysis of volatile substances. The research group utilizes a modern two-dimensional gas chromatograph, equipped with an olfactometric port, which allows researchers to directly send selected components of an odor into a person’s nose and observe their subjective reactions. This expertise will contribute significantly to the project’s objectives.

With Robert Hanus and IOCB Prague joining SMELLODI, the project gains valuable expertise and insights that will contribute to the advancement of digitizing human olfaction. This collaboration marks a significant step toward revolutionizing the way we understand and interact with body odors.

Check out this video (subtitles available):  IOCB Prague to contribute to a European project on the digitization of human body odors