Monell Chemical Senses Center
Encyclopedia
The Monell Chemical Senses Center is a non-profit independent scientific institute located at the University City Science Center
research campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. Monell conducts and publishes interdisciplinary basic research on taste, smell, and chemesthesis (chemically mediated skin senses, such as the burn of capsaicin
or the tingle of carbonation).
Monell has a scientific staff of more than 50 Ph.D.-level scientists. Situated in the academic heart of Philadelphia’s University City Science Center, the Center occupies two buildings with a total of 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²). The institute is operated as a non-profit organization and receives funding from government grants, primarily from the National Institutes of Health through the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, as well as from foundations and unrestricted corporate sponsorships.
University City Science Center
The University City Science Center is the first and largest urban research park in the United States. It was established in 1963 with its headquarters in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia...
research campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. Monell conducts and publishes interdisciplinary basic research on taste, smell, and chemesthesis (chemically mediated skin senses, such as the burn of capsaicin
Capsaicin
Capsaicin 2CHCH=CH4CONHCH2C6H3-4--3- ) is the active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus Capsicum. It is an irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning in any tissue with which it comes into contact...
or the tingle of carbonation).
Overview
Founded in 1968, the Center’s mission is to advance knowledge of the mechanisms and functions of the chemical senses to benefit human health and well-being. Knowledge gained from Monell’s basic research provides insight and solutions for issues related to public health, national health policy, and quality of life, including studies of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, pediatric health, occupational safety, environmental interactions, and homeland security.Monell has a scientific staff of more than 50 Ph.D.-level scientists. Situated in the academic heart of Philadelphia’s University City Science Center, the Center occupies two buildings with a total of 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²). The institute is operated as a non-profit organization and receives funding from government grants, primarily from the National Institutes of Health through the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, as well as from foundations and unrestricted corporate sponsorships.
Leadership
Gary K. Beauchamp was appointed in 1990 as the Center’s second Director, a position he holds today. Dwight Riskey is Board Chair. Many eminent scientists, academicians and business executives have served the Center as board members and members of advisory committees.Notable members
- Alexander BachmanovAlexander BachmanovDr. Alexander Bachmanov is a scientist and geneticist currently working at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the genetics of taste, ingestive behavior and alcohol intake. His studies are based on genetic variation among mouse strains; he uses...
- Gary BeauchampGary BeauchampDr. Gary K. Beauchamp has been Director and President of the Monell Chemical Senses Center since 1990.Dr. Beauchamp graduated from Carleton College in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He received his Ph.D. in biopsychology in 1971 from The Pritzker School of Medicine of the University of...
- Paul BreslinPaul BreslinDr. Paul Breslin is a geneticist and biologist.He is most notable for his work in taste perception and oral irritation, in humans as well as in Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly....
- Beverly Cowart
- Pamela DaltonPamela DaltonDr. Pamela Dalton is a cognitive psychologist. She has a Ph.D. in experimental psychology and a Masters in Public Health. Dalton is frequently quoted by the popular press as an authority on environmental odors...
- Mark FriedmanMark FriedmanDr. Mark I. Friedman is a physiologist and a psychologist. He is most notable for a paper regarding human metabolism and food intake.He is currently Associate Director at Monell Chemical Senses Center...
- Alan GelperinAlan GelperinDr. Alan Gelperin is a scientist and biologist currently at Princeton University and Monell Chemical Senses Center. He specializes in electronic olfaction and computational neuroscience....
- Robert Margolskee
- Julie MennellaJulie MennellaDr. Julie Mennella is a biologist.She is most notable for a paper published in 2000 about the ability to learn flavor by prenatal and postnatal infants. The paper was written with Dr. Coren Jagnow.She is currently at the Monell Chemical Senses Center....
- George PretiGeorge PretiDr. George Preti is an analytical organic chemist currently working at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For more than four decades, his research has focused upon the nature, origin and functional significance of human odors. Dr...
- Danielle ReedDanielle ReedDr. Danielle R. Reed is a geneticist currently working at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is most notable for her papers regarding genetic variation in taste and obesity in mice and humans...
- Karen TeffKaren TeffDr. Karen Teff is a biologist and geneticist.She is most notable for a paper on the effects of fructose on triglycerides in women. She is also known for a paper concerning the effects of carbohydrate-heavy breakfasts on satiety....
- Michael TordoffMichael TordoffDr. Michael G. Tordoff is a psychobiologist working at the Monell Chemical Senses Center. His research deals with the genetics and physiology of taste and nutrition...
- Charles WysockiCharles WysockiCharles J. Wysocki, Ph.D., is a biologist and psychologist currently at the Monell Chemical Senses Center. He is notable for his work with the genetics of olfaction in mice and humans, the vomeronasal organ and the major histocompatibility complex. He has worked with Drs. George Preti and Gary...
- Kunio YamazakiKunio YamazakiDr. Kunio Yamazaki is a biologist. He is currently working at the Monell Chemical Senses Center.Dr. Yamazaki is most notable for his extensive work with the major histocompatibility complex.He has worked with Dr. Gary Beauchamp, also of Monell, before....
Selected achievements
- Characterized the first sweet-tasting protein, “Monellin,” broadening the concept of sweet taste
- Demonstrated that bodily odors 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 to reliably measure human sensory perception.
- Pioneered use of living human tissue to characterize human olfactory and taste cell function.
- Identified one of the receptors for sweet taste.
- Established use of chemosignals as effective nonlethal means of vertebrate pest control.
- Demonstrated influential 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, a novel anti-inflammatory compound.