ReviewBiodesign research2025
Towards sustainable freshwater systems through plant synthetic biology engineering plants for sustainability.
Review in Biodesign research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Approaches are needed to reduce the impact of climate change and provide freshwater. Synthetic biology, and plant synthetic biology specifically, is in an exceptional position to address these needs. Plants are powerful synthetic biology platforms as they derive their energy from the sun (photosynthesis) while capturing the potent greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. Historically, plants were used in specialized circumstances to provide and store freshwater. Even today many mangrove species can filter seawater while some plants can store massive amounts of water. I propose that starting from nature's own design principles we could engineer plants to filter seawater and/or store freshwater. Moreover, synthetic biologists could derive components found in diverse life forms, modified by water's evolutionarily adaptive properties, to provide source material for engineering plants to filter and transport water. By combining components and inspiration from nature, with advanced synthetic biology tools such as computational protein design and directed evolution, we have the knowledge and technology to make an impact on climate change. Synthetic biologists could engineer plant platforms with the ability to filter saltwater while producing freshwater thus providing a powerful and sustainable means to address freshwater needs while reducing the impact of climate change. With creativity and time, plant synthetic biology could thus help provide sustainable solutions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.