Bioeconomy

Vaccination for plants - 23/01/2023

Dialogue instead of a chemical maze – new strategy for sustainable crop protection

Climate change creates stress. This provides an opportunity for pests to exploit plant weaknesses and reproduce. For the infested plant, this can be catastrophic and often fatal. But instead of continuing to protect harvest yields with toxic substances as before, the transnational DialogProTec project is now taking a completely new approach: researchers want to intervene in the communication between plants and pests to keep them healthy.

A viscous biopaste that is easy to process, solidifies quickly and is suitable for producing even complex structures using the 3D printing process has been developed by a research team headed by Prof. Dr. Marie-Pierre Laborie from the Chair of Forest Biomaterials at the University of Freiburg. The wood-based biodegradable synthetic could potentially be used in lightweight construction, amongst other things.

For hundreds of millions of years plants have had the ability to harness carbon dioxide from the air using solar energy. The Max Planck research network MaxSynBio is on the trail of building artificial cells as sustainable green bioreactors. The research team led by Tobias Erb from the Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg has now succeeded in developing a platform for the automated construction of cell-sized photosynthesis modules.

CRISPR/Cas9 and genetic engineering laws - 27/11/2019

Transgene-free plant breeding using genome editing

Plant geneticists from Tübingen have used genome deletion to breed a variety of tomato that is resistant to powdery mildew. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology that they used enabled them to achieve this in a relatively short period of time. They also demonstrated beyond any doubt that the new tomato variety contains no foreign DNA and is indistinguishable from naturally occurring deletion mutants.

Article - 26/11/2018

Innovations to facilitate a greener world

The Second Global Bioeconomy Summit, held in Berlin in April 2018, confirmed the essential role of modern genetic engineering methods such as genome editing in producing heat- and drought-tolerant crops adapted to the changing climate. Such methods are clearly required to help achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Plant breeding - 19/11/2018

Tobacco for health

Plants can be used as biofactories to produce valuable active ingredients such as proteins, antibodies, dyes or vaccines. A project called Newcotiana aims to re-position the existent tobacco industry infrastructure. The project partners, including Prof. Dr. Holger Puchta from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, use modern breeding methods to develop tobacco varieties with new capabilities.

Article - 06/06/2016

Natural genetic engineering

New plant breeding technologies, and the CRISPR/Cas technique in particular, are making headlines. For the first time in the history of agriculture, these technologies enable the quick and, in particular, precise modification of DNA at a predetermined locus. However, these methods provide authorities with an unexpected headache: are genome-edited plants genetically modified organisms or not?

Article - 25/02/2013

Computomics: unlocking the secrets of plant genome sequences

Thanks to the latest generation of sequencing technology, the deciphering of the complete genome of organisms is becoming faster and cheaper. The challenge is to compile the book of life from millions of DNA fragments and unlock the secrets of the human and other organisms. The young bioinformatics company Computomics in Tübingen is doing just this for crops. In contrast to the human genome, the genome of the majority of plants is still a book…

Press release - 16/11/2012

GATC Biotech is partner in decoding the genome of the pathogen Colletotrichum

In collaboration with the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne GATC Biotech AG has decoded the genome of the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum higginsianum. The recently published results show that gene expression plays a decisive role in plant disease. With this knowledge the international project aims to improve plant protection from this pest.

Press release - 05/06/2012

Engineered moss produces human hormone

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a human protein hormone that is predominantly produced in kidneys. Scientists from the Chair of Plant Biotechnology of the University of Freiburg, Germany, around Dr. Eva Decker and Professor Ralf Reski and from the Freiburg-based biotech company greenovation have genetically engineered the moss Physcomitrella patens in such a way that it now produces recombinant human asialo-EPO in the moss bioreactor. The researchers…

Article - 29/05/2012

Can artificial photosynthesis solve our energy and climate problems?

In order to achieve the sought-after shift towards sustainable regenerative energy supply, researchers around the world are focusing on the conversion of solar energy into hydrogen and carbon compounds using artificial chemical systems. They aim to achieve much more efficient photosynthesis than plants have. Other scenarios foresee improving the energy balance of photosynthesis by modifying the photosynthesis system.

Article - 05/09/2011

How microalgae bind carbon dioxide and how they are used as sources for material and energy production

In comparison to other plants, algae grow quickly and produce large quantities of biomass. They generate a much greater mass per square metre than other energy plants. In addition, almost all algal biomass can be used as raw material for the pharmaceutical industry, amongst others. Therefore, a technology that is able to effectively produce microalgae on an industrial scale could make a considerable contribution to the energy and material…

Article - 22/08/2011

Can the stress tolerance of moss be transferred to maize and other plants?

The moss Physcomitrella patens has long since been one of several popular model organisms used in research. The Physcomitrella patens genome was sequenced in 2007. Comparative analyses with other plant species show why the relatives of the moss were able to colonise land approximately 500 million years ago the moss relatives developed a large number of mechanisms to protect them against drought and other stress factors which made them real…

Article - 15/08/2011

Artificial seed germination and premature ageing

Farmers expect sugar-beet seeds to be of the highest quality. Seed producers such as Einbeck-based KWS SAAT AG use complex technologies to ensure that seeds start germinating immediately after sowing even under unfavourable environmental conditions. One of the techniques used by KWS SAAT AG involves a special method of seed preparation to ensure immediate germination. However the disadvantage of this special type of pretreatment is that the seeds…

Article - 02/05/2011

Intelligent adhesives inspired by nature

Boston ivy ivy and other woody vines have unusually strong adhesive forces. The question researchers are asking is can they transfer the surface adhesion principle of ivy to technical applications? The Plant Biomechanics Group led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Speck in Freiburg is working on one project that focuses on using nature as a model for intelligent adhesive bonds.

Press release - 28/02/2011

"Sebacinales Everywhere" – fungi that live in special symbioses

Researchers have a created a specific type of endophytic symbiosis between fungi and plant roots that does not lead to visible mycorrhiza. In addition, a team of biologists from Tübingen along with international partners has discovered that Sebacinales (fungi) are ubiquitous endophytes of plant roots.

Press release - 08/01/2011

Optimal Use of Resources from Nature

Tomatoes that resist pests and extreme weather while still tasting like tomatoes are among Professor Holger Puchtas long-term research goals. The molecular biologist develops techniques that will allow him to control inheritance in plants to selectively improve the properties of different species through nature’s existing gene pool. For his fundamental research, Puchta now is awarded an Advanced Researcher Grant by the European Research Council…

Press release - 19/12/2010

No phenylketonuria in the moss Physcomitrella patens

Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski and his team from the University of Freiburg switched off the PAH gene in the moss Physcomitrella patens using a method known as gene targeting in order to study gene function in the moss. As expected, these knockout mosses accumulated phenylalanine. In contrast to humans with phenylketonuria, however, the elevated concentration of amino acids had no negative effect on the development of the moss.

Article - 13/12/2010

The chemical industry cannot be ignored

Urbanisation, changing climate and population explosion along with increasing energy requirements – the chemical industry needs to come up with effective contributions to finding solutions to issues of future relevance. During a guest lecture at the University of Konstanz, Dr. Andreas Kreimeyer, Executive Research Officer of the world’s largest chemical company, BASF SE, spoke about future research issues and the solutions that he believes can…

Press release - 11/10/2010

Focusing on the cell memory of plants

Scientists from Heidelberg University have discovered a mechanism in Arabidopsis that enables cells to pass on information about their genetic fate to new generations of cells. This surprising discovery also reveals that the mechanism in Arabidopsis is strikingly similar to human cell memory.

The research group led by Prof. Ralf Reski is a moss specialist and has now, for the first time, succeeded in producing a human protein in a moss bioreactor – the complement factor H. The lack of this protein leads to age-related macular degeneration in about 50 million people worldwide. The complement factor H has been assigned ‘orphan drug’ status by the respective EU authorities.

Article - 21/05/2010

A small moss turns professional

No standards are available on the proper storage and documentation of sample material areas in which every research group does what suits it best. However in February 2010 the International Moss Stock Centre IMSC was established at the University of Freiburg and is rapidly changing this situation. Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski have developed a method that enables them to store biological material in a cryobank for an indefinite period…

Article - 27/10/2009

Green genetic engineering now conquers the ornamental plant market as well

A blue carnation developed in Australia was the first genetically modified ornamental plant sold around the world. The Stuttgart-based company Ornamental Bioscience GmbH now plans to use the same approach with far more practical goals in mind: water-saving summer flowers and tropical plants that are resistant to the cold, both of which have many concrete advantages and not just for consumers.

Dossier - 12/10/2009

A green view - plant genome research

Research into the plant genome reveals many fundamental mechanisms some of which are also found in animals and human beings. Research increases the possibility of application in particular for the improvement of food animal feed and energy plants. However there is more to it than just transgenic plants.