Insect olfaction unit
Decoding volatile signals through insect olfaction
Our laboratory studies how insects detect and interpret volatile molecules. Odours are encoded by the combined activity of many olfactory receptors, forming a combinatorial code that links chemical signals to perception, physiology and behaviour. By combining neurobiology, receptor biology, genetics, imaging and quantitative analysis, we aim to understand the fundamental principles of olfactory coding and to translate this knowledge into new applications.
We have developed a powerful biosensor platform that makes it possible to read, in parallel, the responses of many receptors to many odorants and complex volatile mixtures. This high-throughput access to receptor activity allows us to move from descriptive chemical ecology to reverse chemical ecology: starting from the sensory system itself to identify molecules with defined biological activity. Combined with quantitative analysis and AI-based approaches, this platform enables us to decode complex volatile signatures and link them to biological function.
Principles of olfactory coding
Our work is driven by fundamental questions: how does the combined activity of many receptors produce a code that is both selective and robust? How are complex natural mixtures — rather than isolated molecules — represented, and how does this representation resist changes in concentration and background odours? By measuring receptor activity at large scale, and linking it to behaviour and modelling we study how chemical structure is translated into sensory activation and then into behavioural responses. Understanding these principles is an objective in itself, and it is also what makes our work translationally powerful.
Sustainable alternatives to insecticides
Many insect pests use odours to locate host plants, choose oviposition sites or respond to ecological cues. By decoding the activation profiles associated with these behaviours, we identify molecules or blends capable of reproducing, blocking or modifying these signals. This receptor-guided strategy allows us to rationally search for repellents, attractants or behaviour-modifying blends, while exploring a broader chemical space than empirical screening alone. By acting through behaviour rather than toxicity, these approaches support more sustainable crop protection.
Detection of volatile signatures
Physiological changes, stress or disease can modify the composition of volatile emissions, often through complex patterns distributed across many compounds. In this context, our biosensor platform captures odour profiles through sensitive receptor-based detection units, generating combinatorial activation patterns that can be compared, classified and interpreted using quantitative and AI-based approaches. This work connects fundamental questions about the coding of complex mixtures with the development of non-invasive methods for volatile detection.
Together, these directions place insect olfaction at the centre of a broader effort to understand chemical communication in living systems and to develop new tools for agriculture, the environment and health. Several of these research directions are now being translated toward application.
