Center of Crop Genes and Molecular Design

Center of Crop Gene and Molecular Design strategically addresses national priorities while engaging at the forefront of global agricultural science, aiming to establish a core technological capability that underpins food security and the advancement of modern agriculture. The Center focuses on major staple crops, including rice, wheat, maize, and soybean, systematically identifying and functionally characterizing genes of significant research and breeding value. It elucidates the molecular mechanisms and regulatory networks underlying key agronomic traits and environmental adaptability, driving innovation in molecular breeding theory and cutting-edge technologies. Key research areas include crop functional genomics, formation and evolution of important traits, discovery and mechanistic analysis of superior gene resources, and gene resource innovation coupled with intelligent molecular design. Through integrating biotechnology with artificial intelligence, the center has developed a comprehensive system for gene function research and precision molecular design, providing strategic scientific support for national agricultural research and cultivating high-level scientific talent, thereby building an internationally influential platform for crop gene resource innovation.

The Center currently has 85 research scientists, including 37 Professors (Senior Scientists), 31 Associate Professors (Associate Senior Scientists), and 17 Scientists, organized into 6 innovation teams, 15 research groups, and 3 supporting platforms. In recent years, it has undertaken more than 180 projects funded by national key R&D programs, major agricultural science initiatives, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and international collaborations. The Center has been granted over 240 patents and has published more than 690 papers in leading international journals such as Cell, Science, Nature, Cell Research, Nature Plants, The Plant Cell and Molecular Plant. The Center has systematically identified key genes such as D53, BRD3, RHS12, Ms2, PH13, and Xa23, elucidated molecular mechanisms underlying high yield, quality, stress tolerance, disease and pest resistance, and hybrid sterility, and developed genome analysis and gene resource innovation systems based on machine learning, including DNNGP and DeepWheat, providing abundant resources and theoretical-technological support for crop molecular design and functional gene research.