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

这一创新-技术转化伙伴关系(PFI-TT)项目的广泛影响/商业潜力将产生一种安全和有效的方式，确保在保护酿酒、葡萄和茶叶等几种不同作物时充分解毒和去除常用杀虫剂。许多杀虫剂不容易用水去除，因此，由于这些杀虫剂残留在这些产品的表面，因此构成了公共健康风险。该项目将开发一种基于蛋白质的技术，可以将一种名为有机磷的特定类别的杀虫剂分解成两种更容易用水去除的无害产品。通过这一点，消费者可以更容易地享受到受这种特殊类别杀虫剂保护的水果和蔬菜。拟议的项目将导致蛋白质工程师、化学家和计算机科学家的合作。最终，该团队计划开发一种由计算机科学家设计、由蛋白质工程师生产、由化学家稳定的单一蛋白质。计算机科学家是设计具有改进功能的蛋白质的专家，他们将为蛋白质工程师在实验室中开发提供蓝图。蛋白质工程师将生产这些蛋白质，并用几种常用的杀虫剂评估它们的效力。然后，化学家将晶体封装在糖中，以确保产品在储存几个月后的有效性。一群不同的科学家将带来新的想法来解决水果和蔬菜表面的农药残留问题，并为这个普遍存在的问题开发商业上可行的解决方案。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.