PFI-TT: Prototyping a Pesticide Detoxifier for High Value Crops

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project will result in a safe and effective way to ensure full detoxification and removal of commonly used pesticides in the protection of several different crops such as wine grapes and tea leaves. Many pesticides cannot be easily removed with water, and, therefore, pose a public health risk as these pesticides persist on the surface of these products. This project will develop a protein-based technology that can break down a particular class of pesticide called organophosphates into two benign products that can be more easily removed with water. Through this, consumers could more easily enjoy fruits and vegetables protected by this particular class of pesticides. The proposed project will result in the collaboration of protein engineers, chemists, and computer scientists. Ultimately, the team plans to develop a single protein designed by computer scientists, produced by protein engineers, and stabilized by chemists. Computer scientists, experts in the design of proteins with improved function, will provide the blueprint for the protein engineers to develop in the lab. The protein engineers will produce the proteins and assess their efficacy with several commonly used pesticides. The chemists will then encapsulate the crystals in a sugar to ensure the products' efficacy following storage of several months. A diverse group of scientists will bring new ideas to solve the problem of pesticide persistence on the surfaces of fruits and vegetables, as well as develop a commercially viable solution for this pervasive problem.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.