Dr. David Galbraith, professor of plant sciences and member of the BIO5 Institute, is a leader in the development of instrumentation and methods to study complex organisms like plants. His latest paper culminates nearly three decades of discovery in plant genomics that have helped refine agricultural practices worldwide.
“One of the big mysteries of biology is how living organisms, comprising complex mixtures of different cell types with unique functions, successfully coordinate the development and activities of these cells over their lifetimes,” said Galbraith.
This question can be addressed by developing methods to identify different cell types, selectively isolating these cells, and determining their functions. By combining innovative methods developed over the years in his laboratory, Galbraith has provided important insights that not only apply to plants, but all organisms that are made up of different cell types.
“Insights from my work have profound importance in agriculture and basic biology, but also in the study of human health and diagnosis and treatment of disease,” he said.