Aleš Pečinka

Mgr. Aleš Pečinka, Ph.D.
Plant geneticist focusing on the analysis of DNA and its regulation at the Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, he has long-term research experience from several leading plant research institutes in Germany and Austria. He has published over 60 research articles and popularizes plant sciences at schools, public debates, and in media.

New genomic techniques – Scientific discovery of the century

Abstract

In the last two decades, basic research led to the discovery and practical application of several systems for targeted genome mutagenesis and gene editing. I will summarize the principles of new genomic techniques (NGTs) and will put them into contrast with the traditional ways of generating mutants. Additionally, I will demonstrate how NGTs can circumvent several limitations imposed by the traditional breeding technique. Finally, possible modifications of the CRISPR system beyond a simple nuclear scissor will be outlined.