Plant Virus Biotechnology

Plants host a large variety of infectious agents that frequently cause enormous damage in crops and natural ecosystems. The first goal of our research group is to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie the interaction between plants and some of these pathogens, such as viruses and viroids. From this knowledge we expect to develop new biotechnological strategies for crop protection and innovation. We believe that we can take advantage of the remarkable properties of plant viruses and viroids by converting them into useful biotechnological devices. We aim to develop systems to obtain products of interest (metabolites, RNA, proteins, nanoparticles...) in biofactory plants using conveniently engineered viruses and viroids. We envision a future in which cultivated plants will be the most reliable and sustainable source of food, feed, fibers, fuel, and pharmaceutical and chemical products.