Plant Transformation & Biotechnology V

Welcome to the 5th International Conference “Plant Transformation & Biotechnology”!

Plant Transformation is now a core research tool to fight against hunger, to open up the new avenues of science, to evolve the crop varieties, which are multipurpose, producing high harvests under normal and natural stressful conditions to make Earth green and prosperous. The major technical challenge facing plant transformation is the development of methods and constructs to produce a high proportion of plants showing predictable and precise transgene expression without collateral genetic damage.

The 5th International Conference “Plant Transformation & Biotechnology” to be held on July 3-4, 2019, in Vienna, Austria will discuss current key objectives of the plant transformation technologies including understanding and control of precise transgene integration, expression and stability in plants, improved transformation systems, address biosafety considerations and develop GM crops for the benefit of developing countries.

Vienna is located in the heart of Europe on the banks of the Danube River, and considered as one of the most important economic, cultural and touristic large cities of central Europe. Apart from providing top science, the Conference will capture the spirit of the city thanks to the central location of the venue offering a multitude of cultural events.

This two-days event will provide leading academy and industry scientists a platform to communicate recent advances in “Plant Transformation & Biotechnology”, and an opportunity to establish multilateral collaboration.

The 5th International Conference “Plant Transformation & Biotechnology” will cover the following research topics:

  • Agrobacterium and Other Methods of Transformation
  • Transformation of Important Crops
  • Plant Transformation Tools: Vectors, Promoters & Markers
  • Plant Transformation Tools: Marker Free Technologies
  • Plastid Transformation & Molecular Pharming
  • Breakthrough Technologies: News in Gene Targeting
  • Plant Transformation and Public

Approximately 250 participants are expected to attend this exciting scientific forum including almost 40 lectures delivered by worldwide known invited speakers and young, talented speakers selected from submitted abstracts. The program combines plenary lectures, poster sessions, a unique Conference Dinner Party and sightseeing tours of Vienna.

Prof. Alisher Touraev (VISCEA, Austria, Local Organizer)

Prof. Klaus Palme (Chair of the Conference Scientific Program)

Jochen Kumlehn (Co-Chair of The Conference)

Xingguo Ye

David Ow

Kan Wang

Tao Zhou

5th  International Conference Plant Transformation & Biotechnology

(July 3 – 4)

July 3 (Wednesday)
08.00 – 17.00 Registration
09.00 – 09.20 Opening
Welcome address by Alisher Touraev (Local Organizer, Austria)

Welcome address by Jochen Kumlehn (Conference Co-Chair, Germany)

09.20 – 10.30 Keynote Lecture:

Huw D Jones (United Kingdom): Potential Impact of Genome Editing in World Agriculture

10.30 – 11.00 Coffee break
11.00 – 12.30: Session I: Methods & Mechanisms of Plant Transformation
Chairs Kan Wang (USA) & Huw D Jones (United Kingdom)
11.00 – 11.25 (+5) Kan Wang (USA): Towards Establishment of a Transformable Model Maize Line: Breeding Type II Embryogenic Callus Response Into Fast-Flowering Mini-Maize
11.30 – 11.45 (+5) Manuel Lopez-Vernaza (Ireland): Genetic Improvement of the Ensifer-Mediated Transformation (EMT) Platform for Plant Genetic Engineering
11.50 – 12.05 (+5) Hajer Ben Ghozlen (Belgium): Production of Hairy Root Culture of Peanut (Arachis Hypogeae L.)
12.10 – 12.25 (+5) Lena Lachner (Norway): Culturing and Transformation of Parasitic Cuscuta Plants
12.30 – 14.00 Lunch + Poster Session (all numbers)
14.00 – 15.30 Session II: Transformation of Important Crops
Chairs Manoj Prasad (India) & Srinivas Belide (Australia)
14.00 – 14.20 (+5) Manoj Prasad (India):  Advances in Agrobacterium Tumefaciens-Mediated Genetic Transformation of Graminaceous Crops
14.25 – 14.45 (+5) Srinivas Belide (Australia): Efficient Production and Evaluation of Transgenic Sorghum for Biosynthesis of Oil in Vegetative Tissues
14.50 – 15.05 (+5) Nandini Bhogar (Belgium): Optimizing Agrobacterium Mediated Transformation in Melia Volkensii
15.10 – 15.25 (+5) Hassiba Fraj (Belgium): Evaluation of Salt Tolerance of a Genetically Modified Nicotinia Tabacum with the UGT74E2 Gene
15.30 – 16.00 Coffee break
16.00 – 17.30 Session III: Architecture & Elements of Transformation Vectors
Chairs Kostya Kanyuka (United Kingdom) & Manuel Lopez-Vernaza (Ireland)
16.00 – 16.25 (+5) Kostya Kanyuka (United Kingdom): VIGS and VOX for Gene Function Analysis in Cereals
16.30 – 16.50 (+5) Iris Koeppel (Germany): A Versatile Modular Vector System for RNA-Guided CAS Endonucleases
16.55 – 17.10 (+5) Fu Guo (China): Callus Initiation from Root Explants Employs Different Strategies in Rice and Arabidopsis
17.10 – 19.00 Welcome Reception + Poster Session (all numbers)
19.00 – 22.00 Conference Dinner Party
Traditional Austrian food and wine, located in one of Vienna’s famous ‘Heurigen’
Cost: 50,- EUR
July 4 (Thursday)
08.00 – 17.00 Registration
09.00 – 10.30 Session IV:   Plastid Transformation & Molecular Pharming
Chairs Yuri Gleba (Germany) & Marcello Donini (Italy)
09.00 – 09.20 (+5) Yuri Gleba (Germany):  Non-Antibiotic Antibacterials Made in Plants: Applications for Medicine and Food Safety
09.25 – 09.45 (+5) Marcello Donini (Italy): Current State-of-the-Art in Plant-based Antibody Production Systems
09.50 – 10.05 (+5) Rage Emile (Italy): Plant-Based Platforms for the Production of an Avian Veterinary Vaccine
10.10 – 10.25 (+5) Andrea Paola Castellanos Arévalo (Mexico): Amaranth Transgenic Hairy Roots Produced by Agrobacterium Rhizogenes-Mediated Transformation via Constitutive and Inducible Expression Systems
10.30 – 11.00 Coffee break
11.00 – 12.30 Session V: Site-Directed Genome Modification 
Chairs Jochen Kumlehn (Germany) & Nicola Atkinson
11.00 – 11.25 (+5) Jochen Kumlehn (Germany): Targeted Genome Modification in Cereals – Methods and Applications
11.30 – 11.45 (+5) Nicola Atkinson (United Kingdom): Methods for Improving Efficiency of Transformation and RNA-Guided Cas9-Based Editing in Wheat and Barley
11.50 – 12.05 (+5) Sang-Soo Kwak (South Korea): Sweetpotato Orange Gene (IbOr) Dramatically Increases both Carotenoid Contents and Abiotic Stresses in Transgenic Plants
12.10 – 12.25 (+5) Solmaz Khosravi (Germany): Live Imaging of Chromatin in Plant Cells: a Challenging Task for CRISPR
12.30 – 14.00 Lunch + Poster Session (all numbers)
14.00 – 15.30 Session VI: Genetic Engineering of Useful Traits
Chairs David Ow (China)& Christian Hertig (Germany)
14.00 – 14.25 (+5) David Ow (China): Precise, Flexible and Affordable Gene Stacking for Crop Improvement
14.30 – 14.45 (+5) Christian Hertig (Germany): Targeted Mutagenesis of BRANCHED HEAD Homoeoalleles Causes Alterations of Wheat Spike Architecture
14.50 – 15.05 (+5) Robert Eric Hoffie (Germany): A Protoplast-Based Test System for Genome Engineering in Barley and Wheat
15.10 – 15.25 (+5) Claudia Portillo Nava (Mexico): A DODA-like Gene is Involved in Stress Response in Amaranth
15.30 – 16.00 Coffee break
16.00 – 17.30 Session VII: Public Perception of Plant Biotechnology
Chairs Nigel Halford (United Kingdom) &Michael Eckerstorfer (Austria)
16.00 – 16.25 (+5) Nigel Halford (United Kingdom): Evaluation of EU Court Ruling on Site-Directed Mutagenesis
16.30 – 16.55 (+5) Michael Eckerstorfer (Austria):  Biosafety Considerations for Plants Developed by Genome Editing and Other New Genetic Modification Techniques (nGMs) and Consequences for their Regulation
17:00 – 17.20 Closing Ceremony &  Conference Photo