The PTRC's 2023 Recap
Sunday, December 31, 2023
Awards: In a groundbreaking achievement, Team NoLux, affiliated with PTRC, made it as a finalist to compete in Phase III of NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge. Team NoLux, led by Professor Jinkerson from UCR's Bourns College of Engineering and in collaboration with the University
of Delaware, is developing a cutting-edge hybrid inorganic-biological artificial photosynthesis system (based on this Nature Food paper1) capable of cultivating various food sources without relying on carbon or energy inputs from biological photosynthesis. The team is the only academic group that has made it to Phase 3 while competing against industry-backed teams. The team has now partnered with startup Seedorina to help scale the technology for a test simulation by 'Simunauts' in the summer of 2024.
Education and Training: PTRC played a pivotal role in the production of two courses as part of the "Zero to Entrepreneur Modern Agriculture Certificate program" led by Dr. Rosibel Ochoa at the UCR Office of Technology Partnerships. The courses, BPSCX461 and BPSCX463.B, covered fundamental plant biology and hands-on practical training, respectively. With a total of 56 participants, these courses empowered individuals from communities across southern California with the skills and knowledge necessary for successful and sustainable business ventures in modern agriculture. The courses brought awareness to the numerous and fruitful opportunities arising in the rapidly growing modern agriculture industry and inspired a diverse group of driven students to take advantage of them.
Due to their success, these courses are set to be offered again during the spring and summer quarters of 2024. For more information, please contact Nicole Cleary at nicoled@ucr.edu.
Research: PTRC members contributed to two significant publications in 2023, showcasing the center's commitment to supporting cutting-edge research. Collaborating with Professors R. Jinkerson, M. Rao, and the company Living Carbon, these publications covered a range of topics. One focused on the cell wall digestion of the dinoflagellate Breviolum minitum2, a significant advancement in the transformation of algae with promising global impact. The other publication addressed enhancing photosynthetic efficiency in engineered hybrid poplar3, enabling the model tree to consume more CO2 and thereby have it and other plants someday aid in reducing climate change at scale. These research outcomes, published in renowned journals, underscore PTRC's role in advancing scientific knowledge.
Outreach: PTRC's commitment to fostering innovation extended beyond research and education. Members of the PTRC team served as judges in the "Growing Beyond Earth Student Symposium" for high school students, an initiative supported by NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Additionally, PTRC actively participated in poster presentations during the UCR Leaders Showcase Innovation and the University of California
Regents Special Committee on Innovation Transfer & Entrepreneurship in 2023, contributing to the broader landscape of innovation and entrepreneurship in academia. The PTRC also contributed to AgTech Entrepreneurship Workshops at San Andres High School, CA, and UCR, mentoring students in creating innovative business solutions for agricultural challenges, with support from UCR Technology Partnerships, The James Irving Foundation, OASIS Accelerator, and others. The PTRC also helped present their NASA-collaborative project on growing SPACE tomatoes in space to third to fifth-grade and high school students at San Andres High School, with live demonstrations; the event, part of Growing Hope’s Farm to School Fridays speaker’s series, was live streamed to over 130 elementary and middle schools across the San Bernardino School District.
SPACE* Tomato updates: Last fall, PTRC shipped SPACE tomato seed to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a pre-science verification test, a precursor event to the Plant Habitat Mission 08 onboard the International Space Station. These plants are now being cultivated by NASA scientists, showing promising growth and flowering, with ongoing monitoring and support from the PTRC team in collaboration with NASA.
The year 2023 marked a period of significant achievements and contributions for PTRC, solidifying its position as a leading force in plant transformation research and innovation. The PTRC wishes all its current and future members and supporters a Happy New Year!
1 Hann EC, Overa S, Harland-Dunaway M, Narvaez AF, Le DN, Orozco-Cárdenas ML, Jiao F, Jinkerson RE. (2022) "A hybrid inorganic–biological artificial photosynthesis system for energy-efficient food production." Nature Food, 3(6): 461-471.
2 Pairs PI, Dundon ML, Narváez-Vásquez J, Orozco-Cárdenas ML, Xiang T, Jinkerson R, Rao M. (2023) "Cell wall digestion of the dinoflagellate Breviolum minitum." Journal of Applied Phycology. Published: 07 December, 2023.
3 Link Tao Y, Chiu L, Hoyle JW, Dewhirst RA, Rasmussen K, Du J, Mellor P, Kuiper J, Tucker D, Cristes A, Orr GA, Heckert MJ, Godinez-Vidal D, Orozco-Cárdenas ML. "Enhanced Photosynthetic efficiency for increased carbon assimilation on woody biomass production in engineered Hybrid poplar." Forests, 14(4). Published: 18 April, 2023.
*SPACE: Small Plants for Agriculture in Confined Environments
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