Plastomics, Inc.

Today we want to highlight Gilbert Kayanja - a scientist on the soy discovery team who spends his days busy with soy and tobacco tissue culture! We asked to spotlight him with a handful of questions for us to share here: - How did you become interested in plant science?  ANSWER: To a certain extent I have always been interested in plants but it wasn’t until my first undergrad research experience that I fell in love with the research-side of plants. - How long have you been part of the Plastomics, Inc. team?  ANSWER: I have been part of Plastomics, Inc. for one year. - What interests and hobbies do you have outside of work?  ANSWER: Outside work I read (mostly fiction), play DnD, adding new plants to my collection, and amateur wood crafting which I hesitate calling carpentry. You're a great addition to our Plastomics, Inc. team, and we thank you for giving us the opportunity to learn and share a little about you! #agriculture #biotechnology #innovation

Happy Friday and Labor Day weekend! Today we want to highlight Tauna Bollinger - a research associate on the corn team who spends her days busy in the laminar flow hood working on our corn TC system! We asked to spotlight her with a handful of questions for us to share here: - Where are you from and how long have you lived in the St. Louis area?  ANSWER:  I grew up in the Kansas City Metro area and have been in the STL area for 7 years. - How did you become interested in plant science?  ANSWER: I have always loved plants and found them to be magical as a child. My original degree plan was to work in restoration ecology to help restore and maintain fragile prairie ecosystems. - How long have you been part of the Plastomics, Inc. team?  ANSWER: I have been a part of the Plastomics, Inc. team since June 2024. - What interests and hobbies do you have outside of work?  ANSWER: I have a broad array of hobbies. I love camping, gardening, fiber arts (knitting, crochet, cross stitch, embroidery, etc). Mostly, I love spending time in my center, whether that be alone or with my family. You've been an awesome part of the Plastomics, Inc. team and we thank you for giving us the opportunity to learn and share a little about you! #agriculture #biotechnology #innovation

Welcome back to another installment of our Molecular Monday series! Today we want to highlight Leila Pazouki, PhD - our wonderful Molecular Quality Control Lead on the molecular team! We thought we would introduce her with a handful of questions she has agreed to answer here: - Where are you from and how long have you lived in the US? ANSWER: I am originally from Iran and I have been in the US since 2017.  - How did you become interested in molecular genetics? ANSWER: My interest began during my undergraduate studies when I took a course in genetics. The idea of understanding and manipulating DNA to solve crop problems fascinated me. Since then, I have been passionate about exploring how genetic engineering can improve crop resilience and sustainability. - How long have you been part of the Plastomics, Inc. team? ANSWER: I joined Plastomics, Inc. in April 2023. - What interests and hobbies do you have outside of work? ANSWER: Being in nature, piecing together puzzles, and playing with my cat, Jooni (pictured!). Thank you Leila Pazouki, PhD for letting us learn and share a little about you! #agriculture #biotechnology #innovation #molecularmonday

On Fridays we wear pink...to match with our gloves while prepping next week's media! Today we caught a member of our soy discovery team, Rachel Helmich, as she started their media making process. Their team spent this past week launching an exciting new experiment and we, Plastomics, Inc., look forward to seeing their future results! #agriculture #biotechnology #innovation

On Fridays we wear pink...to match with our gloves while prepping next week's media! Today we caught a member of our soy discovery team, Rachel Helmich, as she started their media making process. Their team spent this past week launching an exciting new experiment and we, Plastomics, Inc., look forward to seeing their future results! #agriculture #biotechnology #innovation

Grateful to be part of this great ecosystem!!

Today is a bittersweet day for Plastomics, Inc. - our amazing intern, Erica S, has wrapped up her summer with us and will be heading back to college in the next couple of weeks. As a team, we enjoyed time with her today eating cake and wishing her a fond farewell. It has been such an honor to have her on the team this past summer and we wish her all the luck and success for this upcoming year and life beyond! Before she leaves us, she took time to answer a few final questions for us: What is your educational background and career interests? • ANSWER: I'm currently a rising sophomore at WashU. As of right now, I have an interest in material science and am looking towards a career in the healthcare industry, but I'm not entirely certain. Sifting through all the different things you’ve done here over the summer, what stands out as your favorite activity? • ANSWER: I really loved designing and running my own experiment. It was so exciting to look at the growth and development of my own cultures, especially when they grew new shoots! I also enjoyed making the presentation that described my experimental process and final conclusions. As any good St. Louisan will always ask - what high school did you attend? • ANSWER: Ladue Horton Watkins High School What is your favorite color and favorite animal? • ANSWER: Favorite color: Navy blue, Favorite animal: cats Do you have a favorite plant? (Aside from soybeans, of course!) •ANSWER: Favorite plant: lily of the valley or hyacinths And finally, what are your interests and hobbies you enjoy in your free time? • ANSWER: In my free time, I really enjoy reading, drawing, and singing. These are kind of generic answers, but I would absolutely spend my free time doing all three. Erica S, it has been such a pleasure working with you this past summer - thank you for being the awesome intern and person that you are! #intern #agriculture #biotechnology #innovation

Plastomics, Inc. is developing a novel trait delivery technology that places beneficial traits in the chloroplast of plant cells, rather than the nucleus. For years we’ve been taught that the nucleus is the powerhouse of the cell, however, you may not know that a chloroplast is an additional powerhouse found inside plant cells. See our informational image to learn a little more on why chloroplasts offer intriguing possibilities when developing desirable new technologies! The products created during the first phase of the biotech revolution have helped growers produce more food than ever before with significantly less environmental impact. However, the technologies used to create these products were developed more than 20 years ago, and no longer efficiently supports the complex trait needs of today’s farmers. New, innovative technologies must developed. Our new technology provides solutions for many current biotech seed industry challenges through our multi-trait integration to produce crops that can better withstand the pressure of insects, diseases and weeds while delivering higher yields. This is the Plastomics, Inc. advantage. (We want to thank and give credit to our intern, Erica S, for using her amazing artistic skills to create these images for us!) #agriculture #biotechnology #innovation

It's Molecular Monday! And here at Plastomics, Inc., one of senior molecular biologists, Scott Dour, is busy with creating our next generation chloroplast vectors. You may wonder why is this work necessary, and even more so - why are we working with the chloroplast instead of the nucleus? First, only one nucleus exists in each cell, whereas many chloroplasts are present. Secondly, the nucleus has many more cellular responsibilities than chloroplasts, which gives us the opportunity to add more responsibilities to the chloroplast without taxing their system as heavily (i.e., we can fit many more desirable traits into the chloroplast). And thirdly, chloroplast traits are maternally inherited, which means our traits will not escape into the environment via pollen. Here at Plastomics, Inc., we are developing new technologies to ensure the integrity of our agricultural future for generations to come! #agriculture #biotechnology #innovation

Anyone who has spent any time doing tissue culture will know that media composition and correct preparation is of key importance to ensure cultures thrive under in vitro conditions. Our corn team was doing just that yesterday while pouring media for one of their exciting current experiments! What drives Plastomics, Inc. to innovate? Feeding a growing population is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. According to the FAO, food production must increase 50% globally and 200% in developing countries by 2030. We believe that Plastomics’ technology can make a significant contribution to reach that goal by improving the way that biotechnology is used to deliver higher-yielding seeds to the farmers who are feeding the planet! #agriculture #biotechnology #innovation