Topic overview

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Plant genetic engineering uses methods such as Agrobacterium-mediated transfer, biolistic delivery, viral vectors, and CRISPR–Cas to alter gene expression. Applications include increasing metabolite yields, producing novel molecules, and improving resistance to pests or pathogens. Plant molecular farming uses plants or plant cells as biofactories, while hairy-root cultures, plastid engineering, and transient expression offer distinct production strategies. Making a product suitable for pharmaceutical use also requires downstream processing and quality checks, including identity, potency, glycosylation, and host-cell contaminants. Plant-made products are regulated as biologics, with biosafety, containment, and intellectual-property considerations also relevant to development.