Photo: Olivia Trani | Virginia Commonwealth University
A ‘bionic nose’ being developed by two researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine could help millions of people struggling with a loss of smell - a problem worsened by COVID. But it will take five to 10 years for a fully developed prototype to be ready for testing in patients, say Richard Costanzo, director of research for the VCU Smell and Taste Disorders Center, and surgeon Daniel Coelho. The olfactory implant they are creating is similar in concept to a cochlear implant used to help Coelho’s patients hear, but duplicating how we smell is uniquely challenging. “Hope is coming,” Coelho said. “There are a few important things that we need to get into place, but there’s very little reason to think that this device shouldn’t work.”
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