NIDCD Launches National Smell and Taste Center
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) recently launched the National Smell and Taste Center (NSTC). The center is a collaborative effort among scientists, advocates and other experts who are dedicated to advancing understanding of the chemical senses (smell and taste) and related disorders through innovative research, comprehensive patient care, education and outreach.
An inaugural seminar in July included prerecorded congressional remarks, panel presentations, descriptions of cutting-edge research and discussions about innovations, challenges and opportunities for advancing smell and taste research.
“NIDCD has long recognized that smell and taste profoundly affect our daily lives,” said NIDCD Director Dr. Debara Tucci, during opening remarks. “Chemosensory research also has implications and applications for other diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.”
NSTC was formed through collaborations among several NIH research laboratories and clinics to address the need to strengthen and expand smell and taste research—a need that captured international attention during the Covid-19 pandemic. The center is co-led by Dr. Joshua Levy, NIDCD clinical director, and Dr. Paule Joseph, chief of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s section of sensory science and metabolism. An advisory council of leading researchers, clinicians, patients and advocates will assist in defining NSTC’s mission, prioritizing its activities and ensuring its efforts reflect community needs.
Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang
NSTC alliances within NIH and with international researchers will accelerate advances in smell and taste research that have applications across several diseases and conditions. Planned partnerships include projects with the National Institute on Aging’s Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s functional neurosurgery section and the NIH Intramural Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias. The collaboration will also include the Clinical Center.
During the event, panelists discussed advancing smell and taste research in the post-Covid-19 era, challenges and solutions for smell and taste research and the personal experiences of patient advocates who have experienced smell loss.
View the recorded event at https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=54861.
For more information on the center, see: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/research/labs/national-smell-taste-center.