Structure and function research of ion channels that act as insecticide targets. Nowadays, ion channels remain the primary targets of many the small molecule insecticides. Voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels are responsible for the generation and propagation of action potentials in excitable cells and play an important role in insect physiology. However, so far, the binding sites and the molecular mechanism for the modes of actions of these pesticides remain elusive, hindering the improvement of the pesticides based on the rational design. In 2017, Nieng Yan’s group has been solved the structure of a putative NaV channel from American cockroach at 3.8 angstrom resolution by Cryo-EM . The near–atomic resolution structure of this eukaryotic NaV channel establishes an important foundation for investigating the function and disease mechanisms of NaV channels and for structure-guided drug development . Although atomic structures of NaV provides a structural template for the modeling and virtual docking of known pesticides, the accurate binding modes are still not clear. In my future project, I plan to study the complex structures of the insect sodium channel bound with known pesticides by cryo-EM.