A project led by Dr. Bayram Ali Yerlikaya, a research assistant in the Department of Agricultural Biotechnology at Ondokuz Mayıs University’s (OMU) Faculty of Agriculture, has been selected for funding under the TÜBİTAK 1001 Scientific and Technological Research Projects Funding Programme.

The project, titled “Investigation of the Heritable Editing Capacity of Cas Proteins Delivered through Viral Vectors and Development of Multi-Stress-Tolerant Lines for Transgene-Free Tomato Breeding,” aims to develop transgene-free genome-editing strategies to increase tomato plants’ resilience to stress conditions associated with climate change.

The researchers will investigate the capacity of Cas proteins delivered through viral vectors to produce heritable genome modifications in plants. The project ultimately seeks to develop tomato lines capable of tolerating multiple environmental stresses.

The research focuses on strengthening plant defence mechanisms against increasingly severe threats such as heatwaves, drought, and salinity. One of its most notable features is the use of rapid, heritable, and transgene-free genome-editing strategies, distinguishing the approach from conventional genetically modified organism methods.

Prof. Dr. Musa Kavas, Head of the Division of Plant Biotechnology within OMU’s Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, serves as a researcher on the project, while Prof. Daniel Voytas of the University of Minnesota in the United States contributes as an adviser.

The findings are expected to provide a scientific foundation for modern transgene-free breeding approaches in tomatoes and other plant species.