**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP AN INEXPENSIVE FIELD-DEPLOYABLE SENSOR FOR PEST-INSECT-SPECIFIC PHEROMONES. THIS RESEARCH IS NEEDED FOR AT LEAST TWO REASONS. FIRST, INSECTS THREATEN THE FOOD SUPPLY, COSTING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DAMAGE EACH YEAR, SO INSECTS MUST BE CONTROLLED. YET, DESPITE THE DEVELOPMENT OF POWERFUL NEW MOLECULAR BIOLOGY-BASED CONTROL METHODS, SUCH AS GENETIC MODIFICATION OF CROPS TO RELEASE INSECT TOXINS, EVENTUALLY THE TOXINS WILL BE INEFFECTIVE, BECAUSE INSECTS WILL DEVELOP RESISTANCE. SECOND, INSECT PEST SURVEILLANCE METHODS NEED TO BE IMPROVED. INSECT TRAPS CAN BE USED FOR SURVEILLANCE TO DETERMINE WHEN CONVENTIONAL PESTICIDES OR BIOCONTROL AGENTS ARE NEEDED. OFTEN TRAPS ARE BAITED WITH PHEROMONES: SPECIES-SPECIFIC SUBSTANCES THAT TYPICALLY ARE RELEASED BY FEMALE INSECTS TO ATTRACT MALES FOR MATING. PHEROMONE-BAITED TRAPS ARE INEXPENSIVE AND EFFECTIVE AT TRAPPING MALE INSECTS, BUT KNOWING THE NUMBER OF CAPTURED MALES DOESN'T TELL WHETHER OR WHEN MATING OCCURRED. THIS MEANS THAT TRAP DATA IS NOT AN ACCURATE GUIDE FOR TIMING OF PEST CONTROL ACTIONS. THE PHEROMONE SENSOR THAT WE PLAN TO DEVELOP WILL USE THE ACTUAL RECEPTOR PROTEIN THAT THE TARGETED INSECT USES TO DETECT PHEROMONES WITH ITS ANTENNA. WHEN PHEROMONES ARE RECEIVED BY INSECT ANTENNAS, THEY ARE DETECTED BY BINDING TO SPECIFIC PHEROMONE RECEPTORS. AFTER THE PHEROMONE BINDS TO THE RECEPTOR, AN ION CHANNEL OPENS THAT SENDS AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL ALONG NEURONS TO THE INSECT BRAIN. BY CONTRAST, OUR SENSOR WILL BE DESIGNED TO SEND A LIGHT SIGNAL TO A DETECTOR WHEN THE PHEROMONE IS RECEIVED. THE LIGHT SIGNALS WILL BE GENERATED IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS, USING EITHER A NANOMETER-SCALE SEMICONDUCTOR CRYSTAL KNOWN AS A QUANTUM DOT (QDOT), OR A NANOMETER-SCALE GOLD SPHERE (AUNP). THE QDOT WILL BE ATTACHED TO A PURIFIED INSECT-SPECIFIC PHEROMONE RECEPTOR HAVING A FLUORESCENT DYE SITTING IN THE PHEROMONE-BINDING SITE. THE DYE WILL BE SELECTED TO SPECIFICALLY INTERACT WITH THE QDOTIN A DISTANCE-DEPENDENT MANNER, PRODUCING A CHARACTERISTIC LIGHT SIGNAL. IF A PHEROMONE MOLECULE COMES ALONG AND PUSHES THE DYE OUT OF RANGE OF THE QDOT INTERACTION, THE LIGHT SIGNAL WILL DECREASE, WHICH WILL BE THE BASIS OF THE FIRST SENSOR MECHANISM. FOR THE GOLD NANOPARTICLE (AUNP) SENSOR, THE AUNP WILL BE COATED WITH POROUS SILICA. WE WILL LOAD INTO THE PORES A CALCIUM-SENSITIVE FLUORESCENT DYE. THE AUNP WILL AMPLIFY THE DYE'S FLUORESCENCE BY ITS CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE METAL SURFACE. THE AUNPS WILL NEXT BE COATED WITH SMALL PATCHES OF CELL MEMBRANE, CONTAINING SPECIFIC PHEROMONE RECEPTORS, THAT WILL SEAL THE PORES. IN THE PRESENCE OF THE PHEROMONE, THE RECEPTOR'S ION CHANNEL WILL OPEN, ADMITTING CALCIUM IONS INTO THE SILICA PORES AND DECREASING THE DYE'S FLUORESCENCE, WHICH WILL BE THE BASIS OF THE SECOND SENSOR MECHANISM. IF ONE OR BOTH OF THE SENSOR MECHANISMS ARE FOUND TO BE SUFFICIENTLY SENSITIVE TO DETECT THE AMOUNT OF PHEROMONE RELEASED BY ONE MOTH IN A FEW HOURS,AT A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 20 METERS, THIS WOULD SUPPORT FUTURE EFFORTS TO PRODUCE A FIELD-DEPLOYABLE PROTOTYPE SENSOR THAT COULD BE TESTED AND ULTIMATELY MANUFACTURED. IF SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPED, THIS SENSOR COULD PROVIDE MORE ACCURATE TIMING FOR INITIATION OF PEST CONTROL, AND A MORE ACCURATE PICTURE OF WHERE MATED FEMALE MOTHS ARE LIKELY TO BE LOCATED.