| We propose to develop and fabricate smell receptor based sensors. Smell receptors belong to the most sensitive sensors known. They cannot only detect the odorants in extremely low concentration both in air and in water, but also with enormous specificity in a combinatorial manner. Smell receptors belong to the class of membrane proteins. Little is known about the intricacies and function of many smell receptors at present. To use smell receptors, their structure and stability needs to be studied. In order to meet the grand challenge of study of membrane protein structures, especially smell receptors, we must develop new materials and tools that can effectively and solubilize, stabilize and crystallize these receptors for meticulous study. One method to accomplish this task is a plan to systematically design and select biological surfactants. These biological surfactants are suburb to solubilize and stabilize the hydrophobic smell receptors in a gentle manner, which is a prerequisite for study of structure and function. Study of structure, stability and ligand binding will lead to understanding of the receptors and opens possibilities to use these highly sensitive smell receptors to develop ultra-sensitive biosensors, which have exciting nanobiotechnology applications. The smell receptors will be attached to a chip, and binding of a smell molecule will be read out, in order to create a ?dog-on-a-chip?: on any occasion a dog could be used to detect smell, the biosensor can be used to replace the dog. For example in environmental detection, security, perfume industry, food industry and medical disease diagnosis. |
