The Department of Biology at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) has added another key laboratory to its list. The Guangdong Provincial Department of Education announced the Key Laboratory of Molecular Design for Plant Cell Factory of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes (Key Laboratory).

Department of Biology vice head and Chair Professor Guo Hongwei will lead the Key Laboratory. It will be based on research conducted by the SUSTech-Peking University (PKU) Institute of Plant and Food Science by focusing on the strategic needs of modern agricultural development. Its cutting-edge research on plant science will be guided by crucial scientific issues surrounding the design of molecular factories in a plant cell.

The Key Laboratory will use a variety of model plants to conduct studies in areas such as multi-gene expression and silencing mechanisms, secondary metabolic pathway analysis, metabolite transport, secretion, and storage mechanisms.

The SUSTech-PKU Institute of Plant and Food Science has been committed to the exploration of developmental plant biology, epigenetics, structural biology, cell biology, and metabolomics since its establishment in 2017. It supports teams conducting fundamental research into plant gene regulation and applications for plant metabolism.

Some of its members have led major national research teams, key projects, and Guangdong Provincial Innovation and Entrepreneurship teams. This experience provides intellectual support for the construction and development of key laboratories at all levels.