The Crop Transformation and Genome Editing platform also known as BRACT (Biotechnology Resources for Arable Crop Transformation) at the John Innes Centre offers unique world-leading expertise in transformation and genome editing of crops. The platform offers a complete crop transformation and genome editing resource for UK cereal and Brassica crops.

If you are interested in wheat , you can visit our dedicated Wheat Transformation team’s page to find out more.

The experienced team can help with a range of project needs. They can provide support for experimental design and construct assembly, through to transformation and screening of the plants developed. The BRACT platform can also provide training, ready prepared standard constructs, and help with writing and costing of grant proposals.

The BRACT platform can help to advance your work by providing functional characterisation of genes of interest by over-expression and/or by providing CRISPR/Cas9 derived knock-out mutants.

Constructs

The team can help with all your construct design and assembly needs:

• A series of tried and tested pBRACT vectors have been designed and tailored for each of the crop species for both transformation and genome editing applications
• Bespoke construct assembly

Transformation and RNA guided Cas9 based Genome Editing

Along with helping with constructs, the BRACT platforms can also offer expertise in transforming these plant crop species:

• Barley
• Brassica oleracea
• Brassica napus

Training

You can learn from our unique platform’s experts to apply to your own projects.

• Simple and efficient protocols developed by BRACT for routine Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation with recommended genotypes for each of the crop species.
• Mentoring opportunities hosted in BRACT’s labs

Please contact Wendy Harwood  for more information about Crop Transformation.