<b>Augmenting Insect Olfaction Performance through Nano-Neuromodulation</b>

Biological olfactory systems are highly sensitive and selective, often outperforming engineered chemical sensors in highly complex and dynamic environments. As a result, there is much interest in using biological systems to build sensors. However, approaches to read-out information from biological systems, especially neural signals, tends to be sub-optimal due to the number of electrodes that can be used and where they can be placed. Here, we aim to overcome this sub-optimality in neural information read out, using a nano-enabled neuromodulation strategy to augment insect olfaction-based chemical sensors. By harnessing the photothermal properties of nanostructures and releasing a select neuromodulator on-demand, we show that the odour-evoked response from the interrogated regions of the insect olfactory system can not only be enhanced but can also improve odour identification.生物嗅觉系统具备极高的灵敏度与选择性，在高度复杂且动态变化的环境中，其性能往往优于工程化化学传感器。因此，学界对利用生物系统构建化学传感器抱有浓厚兴趣。然而，从生物系统中读取信息（尤其是神经信号）的方法往往存在次优局限，这是由于可用电极的数量及植入位置均受到限制。本研究旨在突破神经信息读取环节的这一短板，采用纳米赋能的神经调控策略，以强化基于昆虫嗅觉的化学传感器性能。通过利用纳米结构的光热特性并按需释放特异性神经调节剂，本研究证实：昆虫嗅觉系统被探测区域的气味诱发响应不仅可得到增强，还能有效提升气味识别能力。