Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have created an advanced genetic technology that allows the introduction of large genes directly into specific sites within the plant genome, an achievement that overcomes a scientific hurdle that had hindered the development of plant bioengineering for decades.

The genome enables the introduction of genes without the need to create cuts in DNA.

This approach opens the door to building complex genetic traits that enhance the ability of crops to withstand heat, drought, and diseases, and enables the use of plants as platforms for producing pharmaceuticals and vaccines.

The study, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, demonstrated the success of the new technology in tobacco and rice plants, presenting a different approach to genome engineering that allows the introduction of genes without the need to create cuts in DNA, giving researchers a more precise ability to build biological traits.

The lead researcher, Dr. Magdy Mahfouz, affirmed that the future of biotechnologies depends on providing plants with entirely new genetic instructions to create advanced biological functions, noting that the developed approach represents a fundamental step towards developing plants with more complex genetic capabilities.

Although the work is still in its research phase, the results represent the first practical proof of the possibility of fixing complete genes and large genetic elements in specific sites within the plant genome, which expands the tools of scientists to develop plants that combine several useful traits or perform new productive functions that support the future of agriculture and biomanufacturing.