(06/22/21) Together with the DFG Office North America and the German Center of Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York, the New York office of the University of Cologne hosted the second edition of the “Transatlantic Tandem Talks," a series of academic panel discussions focusing on jointly researched solutions to important societal problems on both sides of the Atlantic. This panel focused on the sustainable supply of high-quality food for a growing world population.

With the lively title “The Food Fix: Superplants, Microbe Sidekicks and Nutrient Heroes,” Professor Alga Zuccaro (the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences [CEPLAS] at the Universities of Cologne and Düsseldorf) and Professor Mechthild Tegeder (Washington State University) each presented different aspects of their research. They described how their respective research groups optimize the interaction between crops in their biotopes of bacteria and fungi to improve the efficiency in their use as food. They also demonstrated the resistance of these crops to factors such as pathogens and drought, showing how this enhances their nutritional value for human beings.

In addition to traditional cultivation methods, research also is harnessing modern gene editing methods such as CRISPR-Cas9. The subsequent discussion made clear how the legal framework for field trials on organisms manipulated in this way are much easier to fulfill in the USA than in Europe -- one reason why transatlantic cooperation is helping to achieve very good results in this area.

The two presentations and the lively and very well-informed debate clearly illustrated the role that scientific research can play in tackling some of the urgent problems that face humanity. All agreed that it should be made a political priority for this reason, and deserved to receive appropriate funding.

• Transatlantic Tandem Talk - The Food Fix: Superplants, Microbe Sidekicks and Nutrient Heroes - YouTube