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Synthetic Symbiotes: Engineering Opine-Mediated Plant-Microbe Interactions — NSF Award to Princeton University (NJ, $880,000)

Beneficial microbes have great potential to improve plant growth, health, and resilience in agricultural settings, but many microbial treatments fail to establish or persist long enough to deliver their intended benefit. These microbes often struggle to compete with native soil microorganisms or survive long enough to

Award titleSynthetic Symbiotes: Engineering Opine-Mediated Plant-Microbe Interactions
Award ID2514689
AwardeePrinceton University
CityPRINCETON
StateNJ
Amount obligated$880,000
Principal investigatorJonathan Conway
ProgramSystems and Synthetic Biology
Start date09/15/2025
AbstractBeneficial microbes have great potential to improve plant growth, health, and resilience in agricultural settings, but many microbial treatments fail to establish or persist long enough to deliver their intended benefit. These microbes often struggle to compete with native soil microorganisms or survive long enough to influence the plant. This project explores a new strategy to improve colonization by supporting a selective association between plants and beneficial bacteria, enabling more reliab
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