On May 7, 2025, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Charles Zuker and members of his Columbia University lab announce they have unveiled the structure of the human sweet receptor, adding fundamental insights into taste detection and our understanding of the taste system, and paving the way for modern-day confectioners to reduce the amount of sugar in consumer products – all without sacrificing sweetness. 

In 2001, Zuker’s laboratory discovered the genes that encode the sweet receptor. When we enjoy our favorite candies and desserts, these foods taste sweet solely because they activate this receptor.

Now that Zuker and his team have revealed the structure of this receptor, they have opened the door to discovering how to modulate its function.

This means that, instead of relying on artificial sweeteners to cut back on the amount of sugar and calories in products, food and beverage makers could simply use less sugar and add a modulator to their product.

This way we should not only satisfy our sweet tooth, but ultimately consume far less sugar and fewer calories, says Zhengyuan Lu, a graduate student in Zuker’s lab and co-first author of the study.