Cell and Molecular Sciences
Cell and Molecular Sciences (CMS) is based at our Dundee campus and comprises more than 90 plant scientists with research specialisms in cell and molecular biology, genomics, genetics, pathology and physiology.
We have a major research focus on the genetic improvement of cereals, potatoes and soft fruit crops with respect to yield and quality, resource use efficiency and pest and disease resistance.
Our science
We study processes from the gene and molecular level to field scale, providing knowledge to tackle problems of food security and to develop sustainable production systems against a background of environmental change.
Our work also covers the following areas:
- Molecular plant pathology
- Cereal genetics and diversity
- Soft fruit and perennial crop genetics
Core technologies
Technical facilities at the Hutton are managed in the Core Technologies group, incorporating Genomics, Biotechnology and Imaging. Each of these facilities house state-of-the-art instrumentation and expertise to develop, enable and support associated technologies and resources. These include next generation sequencing, gene editing in crop species, and super-resolution & confocal microscopy. Contact Dr Pete Hedley.
Collections
We maintain collections of potato, barley and fruit germplasm, including the Commonwealth Potato Collection (CPC), and have mapping populations of barley, soft fruit and potato as well as collections of contemporary isolates of pathogens and pests.
Collaborations
Close relationships with breeding and agronomy companies, as well as government agencies and other national and international stakeholders ensures the translation of our research into practical applications. We have a unique relationship with local universities, working closely with scientists from the University of Dundee and University of St Andrews. We work together as the Dundee Effector Consortium studying the roles and recognition of effectors in a wide range of pathosystems.
