Seung Yon (Sue) Rhee: Drug discovery for agriculture: Center for Sustainable Plant Innovation and Resilience through International Teamwork (C-SPIRIT)

The Center for Sustainable Plant Resilience and Innovation through International Teamwork (C-SPIRIT) unites experts from the U.S., Canada, Japan, Korea, and the U.K. to develop sustainable, nature-based solutions that boost crop resilience and stabilize global food production amid increasing environmental stressors. By harnessing the chemical diversity of plants and microbes, C-SPIRIT aims to create green chemistry alternatives to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, enhancing plant and soil health while reducing reliance on non-sustainable practices. Its multidisciplinary research integrates genomics, AI, and synthetic biology to discover, synthesize, and validate bioactive metabolites that protect crops from drought, heat, and fungal pathogens. C-SPIRIT will focus on seven major crops including maize, rice, soybean, potato, tomato, pennycress, and cassava. Through collaboration with industry and agricultural stakeholders, public engagement, and international training programs, the Center ensures its innovations are scalable, accessible, and contribute to a more sustainable global bioeconomy.