To unite expertise in synthetic biology + plant biology, opening pathways to a new generation of major crops and future-proofing our agricultural system.
\n\n
Why this programme
\nRepresenting eighty percent of the world’s biomass, with scope to provide everything from food to pharmaceuticals, plants are a critical lever for addressing the twin challenges of food insecurity and climate change. To unlock their potential, we must accelerate the pace of agricultural innovation.
\nSynthetic biology is already revolutionising the world of healthcare. Exploring its application to tailor the traits of plants has the potential to transform the agricultural industry and deliver valuable benefits ranging from food to pharmaceuticals and beyond.
\n
What we’re shooting for
\nWe see a vital opportunity to unlock new plant capabilities that can meet the future needs of humankind. We aim to develop synthetic chromosomes and chloroplasts that are viable in a living plant. This will move beyond what can be accomplished with gene editing and imbue plants with new functionalities, from reducing agricultural water use to protecting crop yields in uncertain conditions.
Read the accessible version of the programme thesis
","mediumLayout":false,"fullWidth":false},{"type":"spacer-comp","cssSizeClass":"medium","height":0},{"type":"quote","quote":"\"Plants provide us with a wealth of natural resources, and the future possibilities are endless. This opportunity space will uncover new ways to interact with plants, helping plants to help people better.\"
","author":"Angie Burnett","role":"Programme Director","image":{"src":"/media/e44dji5m/angie-pd-1.jpg?width=600&height=750&format=webp&v=1db4fcaa55e4b50","alt":"A picture of Angie Burnett smiling against a blue curtain background."}},{"cards":[{"title":"Design, Build, Deliver","text":"Focuses on developing multiple designs for units that deliver a simple plant trait.","step":"TA1"},{"title":"Social + Ethical","text":"Focuses on addressing the social + ethical considerations around synthetic plant technologies, ensuring responsible development + application.","step":"TA2"},{"title":"Maintain","text":"Focuses maintenance + replication of units within cells.","step":"TA3"},{"title":"Species Transferability","text":"Focuses on demonstrating units’ functionality in multiple crop species, including one monocot and one dicot.","step":"TA4"},{"title":"Trait Complexity","text":"Focuses on successfully delivering agriculturally relevant complex traits using synthetic units.","step":"TA5"}],"type":"numbered-cards","heading":"Technical Areas","subHeading":"This programme is split into five Technical Areas (TAs), each with its own distinct objective: "},{"type":"spacer-comp","cssSizeClass":"medium","height":0},{"type":"team-cards","items":[{"image":{"src":"/media/e44dji5m/angie-pd-1.jpg?width=1000&height=1000&format=webp&v=1db4fcaa55e4b50","alt":"A picture of Angie Burnett smiling against a blue curtain background."},"name":"Angie Burnett","text":"Angie Burnett is a plant biologist and has spent the last decade focusing on understanding the power of plants to solve some of our most pressing challenges such as food insecurity, climate change and environmental degradation. Previously, Angie was a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge.","position":"Programme Director"},{"image":{"src":"/media/drgnyo41/nivashinee-krishnakumar.jpg?width=1000&height=1000&format=webp&v=1db4c9596626330","alt":"A black-and-white photo of Nivashinee Krishnakumar smiling in front of a white wall."},"name":"Nivashinee Krishnakumar","text":"Nivashinee has more than five years’ experience in programme management and project delivery. She led high profile projects at a leading global technology consultancy and has worked within delivery management in a variety of industries, ranging from edtech and life sciences to the aviation aftermarket. Nivashinee supports ARIA as an Operating Partner from Pace.","position":"Programme Specialist"},{"image":{"src":"/media/tyfltskh/fabrizio-nov24.jpg?rxy=0.5260904977670994,0.4350403733698075&width=1000&height=1000&format=webp&v=1dba89cd8bd22c0","alt":"A photo of Fabrizio smiling and standing in front of a white background. "},"name":"Fabrizio Ticchiarelli-Marjot","text":"As a plant scientist with a PhD from Cambridge, Fabrizio has spent ten years advancing plant biology knowledge and its translation to products. Before ARIA, he spent five years working in early-stage tech startups, consulting on lab automation at Synthace for Pharma and Crop Protection companies, then at Gardin where he led the plant science team and headed delivery of the R&D product offering.","position":"Technical Specialist"}],"title":"Meet the programme team","text":"Our Programme Directors are supported by a Programme Specialist (P-Spec) and Technical Specialist (T-Spec); this is the nucleus of each programme team. P-Specs co-ordinate and oversee the project management of their respective programmes, whilst T-Specs provide highly specialised and targeted technical expertise to support programmatic rigour.
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