What was the specific research that developed the first transgenic plant?
Dr. Chilton and her research team worked with agrobacterium, a naturally occurring plant pathogen. They demonstrated that it infects plants by inserting its own DNA into plant cells and taking over some of the plants cellular processes. Dr. Chiltons research team first demonstrated that the genes responsible for causing disease could be removed from the bacterium without adversely affecting its ability to insert its own DNA into a plant cell. They also showed that new genes from other organisms could be placed into the agrobacterium DNA, and that these genes would be incorporated into the plants chromosomes and pass specific traits to the plant. Agrobacterium is still used today as one method to introduce new genetic material into plants for crop improvement. Q: Was the agrobacterium process for transferring genes patented? A: A patent application was filed in 1983 by Washington University and the patent was granted in April of 2000. Q: How long has Dr. Chilton been involved with Synge
