It is generally accepted that chemical control of insects at some level will be necessary for the preservation of human health and for agricultural productivity in the foreseeable future. If we are to meet these health and productivity standards while protecting the environment and man from potentially dangerous pesticides, we must a) develop safe, biodegradable pest control agents, b) understand xenobiotic metabolism in target and nontarget organisms, and c) develop rapid, sensitive analytical methods capable of detecting potentially dangerous xenobiotics. Thus, the long-term goal of this project is the safeguarding of human and environmental health by solving aspects of the above problems. I. We will develop new leads for environmentally acceptable insect control agents by investigating the critical events in the metamorphosis of our most destructive insect pests. THese leads can hopefully be exploited by both classical chemistry and genetic engineering. II. Since the epoxide moiety is the reactive center in some of the most dangerous toxins, mutagens and carcinogens known, we will investigate its metabolism in mammalian systems. Special attention will be paid to the induction and inhibition of these systems. Using selective substrates, inducers and inhibitors, we will work toward the development of a predictive model of epoxide catabolism. III. Finally, we will evaluate immunochemical technology as a technique capable of rapidly and inexpensively analyzing both classical and innovative pesticides.
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