Xerophyte Immunity
The Xerophyte Immunity research program seeks to uncover principles that will help address the plant health challenges posed by climate change, by exploring plant immunity in species that prosper under high temperature and drought.
Plants living in the desert have evolved specific features that allow them to thrive in this extreme environment.
The Xerophyte immunity research program focuses on desert plants to understand how they defend themselves against pathogens and how their immune systems have evolved under extreme environmental conditions.
Xerophyte immunity focuses on three main directions:
- Studying the genomes and immune systems of xerophytes,
- Engineering novel immune receptors with improved resilience,
- Identifying new resistance genes and effector targets using advanced computational and high-throughput methods.
The Xerophyte immunity research program was developed as part of a strategic partnership between The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) and the Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (KCGEB), United Arab Emirates (UAE), to advance research in climate-resilient plant immunity and biotechnology.
Prof. Sophien Kamoun fills the role as Khalifa Center's Group Leader at TSL and Dr Yu Sugihara is the Team Leader.
Read: 'New Partnership with the Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology'