In today’s world, where the demand for food and energy is constantly rising, traditional methods of crop breeding just can’t keep up. That’s why a team at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) has come up with an exciting new solution. They’ve developed a robot-powered biofoundry that speeds up plant bioengineering significantly. This innovative facility, known as FAST-PB, combines robotics, computer-aided design, and informatics to enhance plant traits like oil production in a fast, automated way.
Imagine using robots for plant bioengineering—it’s a real game changer! Automating the process of plant transformation means we can develop better bioenergy crops more quickly. As Matthew Hudson from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign puts it, this could revolutionize how we think about bioenergy. The research, published in The Plant Cell, is a collaboration between scientists from the University of Illinois, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Their main focus was on boosting oil production in plants, a strategy that could increase global oil yields without needing more land or fertilizers.
At the heart of this breakthrough is the Illinois Biological Foundry for Advanced Biomanufacturing (iBioFAB), which automates complex biological processes, saving both time and labor. The CABBI team has successfully used iBioFAB for plant genome editing, combining it with single-cell metabolomics to engineer plant genomes and analyze the results. One of their innovations is an automated method for protoplast isolation and gene editing, which allows for the rapid study of gene functions in plant cells. They’ve also developed an automated plant tissue culture system that significantly boosts lipid production.
Moreover, by combining automated biofoundry techniques with single-cell mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), researchers can precisely profile the chemical makeup of gene-edited plant cells. As Jonathan Sweedler, a professor involved in the study, explains, this allows them to measure desirable plant characteristics like lipid production without the confusion of using cell populations.
This technological leap forward in plant bioengineering is set to enhance food and energy security, reduce the need for imported fuels, and support a more sustainable agricultural economy. By automating key steps, this research aligns with CABBI’s mission to develop resilient and efficient bioenergy crops. The advancements made by this study not only support CABBI’s goals but also pave the way for a bio-based economy, offering scalable and cost-effective strategies for optimizing bioenergy crops.
