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PERSPECTIVE article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Biotechnology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1426290
This article is part of the Research Topic Plant-Based Production of Animal Proteins: Challenges and Opportunities View all 6 articles

Closed-Loop Systems for Plants Expressing Animal Proteins: A Modernized Framework to Safeguard the Future of Agricultural Innovation

Provisionally accepted
Justin M. Ferber Justin M. Ferber 1Kristin A. Bresnahan Kristin A. Bresnahan 1*J. Thomas Carrato J. Thomas Carrato 2Thomas J. Stoddard Thomas J. Stoddard 1Nicole C. Juba Nicole C. Juba 1Patrick V. Palad Patrick V. Palad 1Magi Richani Magi Richani 1
  • 1 Other, South San Francisco, CA, United States
  • 2 Creative Biolabs, Shirley, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Escalating population growth and climate change pressures on crop production necessitate agricultural innovation to ensure food security and sustainability. Plant molecular farming (PMF), which uses genetically modified (GM) plants to produce high-value proteins for food products, offers a promising solution. PMF products, particularly those that express an animal protein in seed and grain crops, have the potential to substantially benefit U.S. and global agriculture, food systems, economies, and the environment. Farmers can diversify and generate increased revenue streams, while consumers gain access to affordable proteins beyond those currently available.

    Keywords: closed-loop systems, plant molecular farming, Biotechnology, Stewardship, Food allergen, alternative proteins

    Received: 01 May 2024; Accepted: 08 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Ferber, Bresnahan, Carrato, Stoddard, Juba, Palad and Richani. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Kristin A. Bresnahan, Other, South San Francisco, CA, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.