Bibliometric-Based Analysis of Global Trends and Collaborative Networks in Plant Genetic Engineering (1994-2024).
Xu T, Wang T, Zhang C, Cao Y, He X
Crispr
Crops shaped by the CRISPR tools this study tracks are already entering food systems worldwide — knowing who's developing them and what comes next tells you whose priorities will determine what ends up on your plate and in the seeds farmers plant.
Scientists analyzed 30 years of research papers about genetically engineering plants to reveal how the field has grown and where it's headed. The science moved through three big eras: first using soil bacteria to splice genes into tobacco plants, then using a molecule to switch unwanted genes off, and now using a highly precise 'cut-and-paste' tool called CRISPR to rewrite plant DNA with fine control. The US and China lead this global effort, and researchers predict the next wave will involve computer-assisted breeding and editing many genes at once to help crops withstand a warming, more crowded world.
Key Findings
China and the US form a 'dual-core' hub of global plant genetic engineering research, with the US clustering tightly with Korea, Japan, and the UK, while China expands its research network into Southeast Asia and Africa through Belt and Road Initiative partnerships.
The field advanced through three distinct technology phases over 30 years: Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer into tobacco, RNA interference to silence multiple genes, and finally CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing.
CRISPR now dominates the research landscape, and the study predicts the next frontier will center on germplasm digitization, multi-gene editing, AI-assisted intelligent breeding, and synthetic biology.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A 30-year sweep of scientific publications on plant genetic engineering maps how the field evolved from inserting genes via bacteria into tobacco plants to today's precision CRISPR editing, with China and the US now co-leading global research networks aimed at engineering crops resilient enough to feed a growing population through climate change.
Abstract Preview
Agricultural sustainability faces serious challenges from population growth, climate change and ecological degradation. Genetic modification (GM) technology can be regarded as a precise extension o...
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