RCN: Enhancing Global Plant Transformation Capacity through Research, Training, and Partnerships

RCN：通过研究、培训和合作伙伴关系增强全球工厂转型能力

• 批准号: 2210962
• 负责人: Joyce Van Eck
• 金额: $ 49.94万
• 依托单位: Boyce Thompson Institute Plant Research
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-07-01 至 2025-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2210962&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RCN; Enhancing; Global; Plant; Transformation

Worldwide crop production needs to increase at least 50% to meet the demands for food, feed, and fiber of a growing population. The need for increased production coincides with a time of changing climate that makes crop production more challenging. Hence, it has become more important than ever to understand how plants work, and specifically to identify genes that allow plants to have high yields and adapt to adverse growing conditions. The most powerful tool available to identify gene function, which plays an important role in improving plants, is gene editing. However, gene editing can be prohibitively expensive and can only be efficiently used in a handful of crops. The goal of this Research Coordination Network is to make it easier for researchers from across the U.S. and beyond to exchange information and ideas to develop new approaches to improve gene editing efficiency in plants. It will also act as a central repository of information and organize training opportunities to ensure that a new and diverse generation of scientists will be available to take on gene discovery research needed to advance agricultural productivity and the U.S. bioeconomy.Plant genetic engineering (transformation) and gene editing are critical tools for the advancement of plant functional genomics research, and genomics-based crop improvement. Current transformation systems are significantly limited by inefficient, complicated methods, and a lack of training and expertise in the art and science of transformation biology and techniques. There is a critical need for increasing plant transformation capacity worldwide. Improving capacity will require 1) research advances across transformation technologies; and 2) enhanced knowledge exchange and training in transformation biology and techniques. With NSF support, the Plant Genetic Engineering Network Research Coordination Network (PlantGENE) has been established to facilitate research and to ensure sharing of technology, knowledge, and expertise. The goal of PlantGENE is to ensure that existing knowledge and new information gained from research and development on transformation are rapidly and inclusively shared across the research community. To meet this goal, PlantGENE will 1) establish a global network of researchers from public and private organizations to collectively address the current challenges; 2) facilitate collaboration and training opportunities; 3) exploit established relationships with international research institutes to enable transfer of knowledge, technologies, and methodologies to laboratories in underserved regions; 4) share proven and state-of-the-art methods, develop training modules, and offer virtual and in-person workshops designed and led by experts in plant transformation; and 5) engage with plant biotechnology organizations such as the Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB) and the International Association of Plant Biotechnologists (IAPB). All project information and outcomes will be made available to the broader plant research community.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

全球农作物产量需要增加至少50%，才能满足不断增长的人口对食物、饲料和纤维的需求。需要增加产量的同时，气候变化也使作物生产面临更大的挑战。因此，了解植物如何工作，特别是识别使植物获得高产并适应不利生长条件的基因，变得比以往任何时候都更加重要。基因编辑是鉴定基因功能的最有力工具，基因功能在植物改良中起着重要作用。然而，基因编辑的成本可能高得令人望而却步，而且只能在少数几种作物中有效地使用。这个研究协调网络的目标是让来自美国和其他地方的研究人员更容易交换信息和想法，以开发新的方法来提高植物的基因编辑效率。它还将作为中央信息库并组织培训机会，以确保新一代和多样化的科学家能够从事提高农业生产率和美国生物经济所需的基因发现研究。植物基因工程(转化)和基因编辑是推进植物功能基因组学研究和基于基因组学的作物改良的关键工具。目前的转化系统严重受限于低效、复杂的方法，以及缺乏转化生物学和技术的艺术和科学方面的培训和专业知识。迫切需要在全球范围内提高植物转化能力。提高能力将需要1)在转化技术方面取得研究进展；2)加强在转化生物学和技术方面的知识交流和培训。在NSF的支持下，建立了植物遗传工程网络研究协调网络(PlantGENE)，以促进研究并确保技术、知识和专业知识的共享。PlantGENE的目标是确保从研究和开发中获得的关于转型的现有知识和新信息在整个研究界迅速和包容地共享。为了实现这一目标，PlantGENE将1)建立一个由公共和私人组织的研究人员组成的全球网络，共同应对当前的挑战；2)促进合作和培训机会；3)利用与国际研究机构建立的关系，将知识、技术和方法转移到服务不足地区的实验室；4)分享经过验证的和最先进的方法，开发培训模块，并提供由植物转化专家设计和领导的虚拟和面对面研讨会；以及5)与植物生物技术组织，如体外生物学学会(SIVB)和国际植物生物技术专家协会(IAPB)合作。所有项目信息和成果将提供给更广泛的植物研究社区。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。