Olfactory receptors for the discrimination of specific enantiomers

Olfactory receptors for the discrimination of specific enantiomers

conan dsrf

2019 DSRF Award Winner Conan Juan

Our sense of smell is the result of a cascade of events that occurs when an odorant binds to an olfactory receptor (OR) in the nose. The goal of my project was to identify and demonstrate ORs capable of discriminating between enantiomers, which are isomers that have identical physical properties but are perceptually distinct. During my time in DSRF, I have been able to identify many ORs capable of discriminating between enantiomer pairs in vitro.