Rockefeller University Smell Study

The enjoyment of a fine wine, the odor of a ripe cheese, the memory of a long-lost grandmother brought back by the scent of her perfume, or the alarm we feel when we smell smoke are all produced by a functioning olfactory system. Interestingly, there are enormous individual differences in how we interpret these smells. Given almost any odor, some people will find it pleasant, others unpleasant. Ripe cheese or garlic may smell delicious to some, but repulsive to others. The scientific basis of this variation has not been well-studied. Despite the clear evidence for culture-based preferences for food and aromas, the nature-versus-nurture debate for smell remains unresolved. We believe there may be a genetic basis for our unique senses of smell. For example, some of us can smell methanethiol, the metabolite that is excreted in our urine after eating asparagus, whereas other people cannot.

The Rockefeller University Smell Study seeks to recruit 400 normal subjects to track down the genetic basis of how we perceive smells

• The study consists of up to two visits to The Rockefeller University Hospital Outpatient Clinic, each lasting up to 3 hours, in which we will test your perception of a variety of smells


• On your first visit only, a small blood sample will be collected and your height and weight will be measured


• If you are a woman of child-bearing age, we will ask you to provide a urine sample to test for pregnancy. If you are pregnant, you will not be permitted to participate in our study


• Financial compensation is offered for your participation

You may qualify for this study

• If you are a healthy adult who is not allergic to any odors or fragrances


• If you also do not have a history of nasal illness


• If you do not currently suffer from an upper respiratory infection, seasonal allergy


• If you have never had endoscopic surgery on your nose to correct a sinus condition or to have nasal polyps removed


• If you do not have a history of a pre-existing medical condition that has caused you to have a reduced sense of smell or that caused the total loss of your sense of smell, such as: head injury, cancer therapy, radiation to head and neck, or alcoholism


• If you are a woman of child-bearing age, you are not pregnant

For more information or to enroll, please see our enrollment web page:
http://www.rucares.org/clinicalstudies/protocol.php?id=217
or call 212-327-SMELL (7635) or email us at smell@rockefeller.edu

*Card designs by Pascale Willi