Yiping Qi

The Qi Lab is working at the forefront of plant genome engineering and synthetic biology. We develop plant genome editing and transcriptional regulation tools based on different platforms such as TALE, CRISPR-Cas9, Cas12a, and Cas12b. We disseminate such tools worldwide through Addgene. These tools not only allow for editing plant genomes but also enable genome reprogramming at the transcriptome level. We apply these cutting-edge tools in both basic and translational research in plants to ensure food security and safety. First, we use these new genetic tools to answer some basic questions in plant immunity and resilience under stressful environments. Second, we apply multiplexed genome editing tools to accelerate crop breeding and de novo crop domestication to make high-yielding, more nutritious, and disease-resistant crops. Third, we employ genome editing tools, along with CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) and CRISPR interference (CRISPRi), for engineering metabolic pathways, rewiring plant responses, and developing synthetic switches in plants toward engineering better crops. These goals can not be achieved without collaboration. We are collaborating with other researchers to apply and use these tools in many plant species, including rice, maize, wheat, barley, sorghum, banana, Arabidopsis, Camelina, soybean, tomato, potato, carrot, strawberry, poplar, citrus, and pear.