Applied Plant Biotechnology

Goals

• Humanitarian aspects of plant biotechnology (technology transfer and training for developing countries)
• Policy and regulatory aspects of plant biotechnology
• Functions of viral proteins

Research Lines

• Metabolic pathway engineering
• Molecular Pharming
• Novel agronomic traits
• Developing country biotechnology applications
• Plant-virus-vector interactions

Main activities

• Creation of transgenic cereal crops with complex nutritional and value added traits
• Production of recombinant pharmaceuticals in rice and maize
• Training and technology transfer
• Multi-trait crops and their performance under field settings
• Electron microscopy and proteomics of plant viral infections
• Use of beneficial microorganisms in agriculture (PGPR and mycorrhizae)

International Impact

World leading position in multi-gene engineering of major cereal crops. World leading position in the creation of multi-component microbicides for infectious diseases. Influential position papers, white papers and policy papers on the regulation and socio-political impact of transgenic crops.