Isolation and Establishment of Gustatory Cell Lines in Patients Operated on for Cancer of the Mobile Tongue - ImmortTasteCELL

In terms of incidence, cancer of the tongue is one of the leading cancers in France. Moreover, this cancer is associated with physiological complications ranging from swallowing disorders to loss of taste. Following surgery, impaired perception of food taste may lead to cachexia. It is therefore necessary to carry out research in the field of impaired taste, notably with regard to the regeneration of taste buds. However, there is currently no available functional model of taste bud cells.

It is therefore necessary to obtain a cell line of human taste cells. These immortalised human cells will allow us to better orient our investigations for applications in humans: search for and characterisation of "taste modifiers" synthesised using organic chemistry, able to trigger the perception of food in cases of taste loss or taste impairment.

Moreover, given recent studies conducted by the investigating team proposing the existence of a fatty taste and its implication in obesity, the work of the team could be oriented towards the synthesis of lipid-receptor agonists, by analogy with artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. The availability of these chemical molecules would lead to a reduction in lipid intake as these agents contain no (or very few) calories. They will act as an organoleptic decoy.