Project Update – Execution Phase Underway

Following the last update, the remaining operational bottlenecks have been cleared and the project has moved into active execution.

• Stable platform build is live: PBROC at Michigan State has begun transforming the landing pad vector into petunia, moving the core platform from design into biological integration.

• Agrobacterium pipeline cleared: Phytotron work and infiltration approval are now in place, removing the main gating step from the previous phase and enabling in-house experiments to proceed.

• Parallel expression testing ready: The full initial construct set is now in hand, including landing pad, regulatory, and enzymatic designs, enabling immediate testing of GFP and pigment expression.

• Plant system locked in: Mitchell petunia seed has been secured and plants are established, fixing the background for the first proof of concept.

• Iteration capability established: Bench space is now secured for plasmid cloning, enabling rapid generation of design variants without relying entirely on external synthesis.

The work is now focused on generating experimental data, with stable transformation progressing at PBROC while transient testing begins in parallel to compress iteration time.

Next step is generating initial expression data. I will share results once they are clear.

Project Update – Transition from Setup to Execution

I wanted to share a progress update now that the project has moved from planning into active execution.

Key milestones reached over the past several weeks:

• The landing-pad petunia construct has been received and is ready for use in both contracted and in-house workflows

• Two purple pigment pathway constructs (regulatory and enzymatic designs) have been finalized and ordered to support early expression testing

• I have moved the project into the NC State Phytotron and begun growing petunias on site. Plants are now in early vegetative growth, timed to support upcoming Agrobacterium infiltration experiments

• The Agrobacterium infiltration pipeline is being actively prepared: culture conditions, equipment, consumables, and imaging setup are being put in place for first runs

• In parallel, I am finalizing the PBROC petunia transformation service agreement for generation of the stable landing-pad line in Petunia hybrida cv. Mitchell. This path will produce reusable GFP-marked host lines for future pigment module swaps

I’m running the work on two parallel tracks:

1. In-house infiltration experiments to rapidly test construct behavior and pigment logic

2. Contracted stable transformation to establish the long-term modular platform line

At this stage, progress is where I would expect it to be for petunia work. The current plan is fully executable as scoped, but additional funding would allow me to move faster and run more of the work in parallel rather than serially, particularly around construct testing, plant throughput, and contracted transformation capacity.

I’ll share another update as the next phase of experiments comes online.

The project has started and initial setup is underway. The construct build process is in motion and the early growth work is being arranged. I will post another update once the build phase is fully underway.

@asilverbook Appreciate the support Aaron. I have started the early steps and will keep progress updates coming.

@Austin Thank you Austin. The first step is underway and I will post an update shortly.