Impact

A significant impact of the project was the training of the PI and the young researchers in advanced techniques for the expression of transmembrane receptors in E. coli, insects, and mammalian systems, solubilization of transmembrane proteins with detergents and nanodiscs, qualitative/quantitative characterization by in-gel fluorescence, Fluorescence detection Size Exclusion Chromatography (F-SEC), molecular modeling studies, as well as ex vivo functional assays and behavioral bioassays. Additionally, through the visit and collaboration with Prof. Juha T. Huiskonen, Transfer-of-knowledge in Cryo-EM methods from the collaborating partner to the research group of the PI, has been achieved to a satisfactory degree.

Thus, the implementation of the 3D-ORco project had impact on enhancing the research skills of the early researchers and senior post-doctoral researchers, which is expected to strengthen their research profiles and thereby increase their career opportunities.

Additionally, the implementation of the project resulted in the strengthening of the existing collaborations of the PI, as well as development of new collaborations, thus impacting the ability of the PI's research team to participate in national and European collaborative projects in the field of insect transmembrane receptors.

Finally, because ORco is highly conserved across insect taxa, the compounds targeting ORco are expected to be effective against a broad range of insects, including both disease vectors and agricultural pests. Therefore, the results of the project are expected to have significant social and economic impact.

The discovery of new natural, sustainable, and environmentally friendly means to reduce infectious diseases transmitted by insect vectors addresses the societal need for public health protection, particularly in the context of climate change, which brings a visible risk of infectious diseases outbreaks through the introduction and establishment of harmful invasive insect species in geographic areas where they were previously not endemic or had been eradicated. Additionally, the results obtained from the successful implementation of the 3D-ORco project could be further utilized to develop ecologically smart methods for controlling insect pests that attack plants and animals. These pests are play major role in reduced crop production and increased livestock losses due to insect-borne diseases, and consequently lead to significant economic losses.