Biography.
Nicola Patron is a molecular and synthetic biologist interested in the natural and engineered transfer of genetic material between genomes of different species. Her lab is focused on engineering photosynthetic organisms for industrial biotechnology and crops that are healthier to consume and less environmentally damaging to cultivate.
Nicola obtained her PhD in plant molecular biology studying recombination between viruses and viral transgenes inserted into plant genomes. In post-doctoral research at The John Innes Centre, U.K. and The University of British Columbia, Canada she studied the impact that genes transferred from endosymbionts have on cellular metabolism and function, and evolution of endosymbiont genomes. From 2009-2013 Nicola was based in Melbourne, Australia leading a plant molecular biology group working with industry. Achievements included precision genome editing and targeted gene transfer with programmable nucleases. In 2013, Nicola returned to the UK to head a new Synthetic Biology venture at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich before moving to EI.
As recipient of a 2015 SynbioLEAP fellowship, Nicola was recognised as an emerging leader in synthetic biology with a vision and aspiration to shape biotechnology for the public good. She is particularly interested the societal impacts of synthetic biology and the complex intellectual property issues that surround genetic sequences, DNA and natural products. Nicola is an advocate of responsible and ethical innovation and of open-source tools for biotechnology. She is also active in promoting diversity and inclusivity in science.
Publications.
An edit for good?
Bickerton P, Patron NJ (2019) Laboratory News
Opening options for material transfer
Kahl L*, Molloy J, Patron N, Matthewman C, Haseloff J, Grewal D, Johnson R and Endy D* (2018) Nature Biotechnology 36:923-927
Plant metabolic engineering in the synthetic biology era: plant chassis selection
Stewart CN*, Patron NJ, Hanson AD and Jez JM (2018) Plant Cell Reports 37(10):1357-1358
Plant genetic resources for Food and Agriculture: opportunities and challenges emerging from the science and information technology revolution.
Halewood M, Chiurugwi T, Sackville-Hamilton R, Kurtz B, Marden E, Welch E, Michiels F, Mozafari J, Sabran M, Patron NJ, Kersey P, Bastow R, Dorius S, Dias S, McCouch S, and Powell W* (2018) New Phytologist 217(4):1407-1419
Identification of Euglena gracilis β-1,3-glucan phosphorylase and establishment of a new glycoside hydrolase (GH) family GH149
Kuhaudomlarp S, Patron NJ, Henrissat B, Rejzeka M, Saalbacha G, Field RA* (2018) Journal of Biological Chemistry 23 (293:8):2865-2876
The wheat Sr22, Sr33, Sr35 and Sr45 genes confer resistance against stem rust in barley
Hatta MA, Johnson R, Matny O, Smedley MA, Yu G. Chakraborty S, Bhatt D, Xia X, Arora S, Steuernagel B, Richardson T, Mago R, Lagudah E, Patron NJ, Ayliffe M, Rouse MN, Harwood WA, Periyannan SK, Steffenson BJ, Wulff BH* (2018) bioRxiv Preprint (in review)
CRISPR-based tools for plant genome engineering
Volpi e, Silva N and Patron NJ* (2017) Emerging Topics in Life Sciences 1(2):135-149
Harnessing Plant Metabolic Diversity
Owen C, Patron NJ, Huang A, Osbourn A (2017) Current Opinion in Chemical Biology 40:24-30
Feeding the Future: The Case for Open Source Technology and an Inclusive Plant Bioengineering Community
Patron NJ* (2017) SynBioLEAP
Point of View: A transatlantic perspective on 20 emerging issues in biological engineering
Wintle BC, Boehm CR, Rhodes C, Molloy J, Millett P, Adam L, Breitling R, Carlson R, Casagrande R, Dando M, Doubleday R, Drexler E, Edwards B, Ellis T, Evans NG, Hammond R, Haseloff J, Linda Kahl L, Kuiken T, Lichman BR, Matthewman CA, Johnathan Napier J, Ó hÉigeartaigh S, Patron NJ, Perello E, Shapira P, Tait J, Takano E, Sutherland WJ (2017) eLife 6:e30247
SMRT Gate: A method for validation of synthetic constructs on Pacific Biosciences sequencing platforms
D’Amore R, Johnson J, Haldenby S, Hall N, Hughes M, Joynson R, Kenny JG Patron NJ, Hertz-Fowler C and Hall A* (2017) BioTechniques 63(1):13-20
Synthetic Botany
Boehm CR, Pollak B, Purswani N, Patron NJ and Haseloff J* (2017) Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology 9:a023887
Synthia: Playing God in a sandbox
Richardson S and Patron NJ* (2016) Microbiology Today What is life? (May 2016 Issue): 66-69
Synthetic Biology Handbook
Patron NJ* (2016) Synthetic Plants in Synthetic Biology Handbook Ed: Darren Nesbeth. CRC Press. ISBN 978146656847
Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences 2nd Edition
Patron NJ* (2016) Synthetic Biology and Gene Cloning in Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences 2nd Edition Editor-in-Chiefs: Brian Thomas Denis J Murphy Brian G Murray. Academic Press. eBook ISBN: 9780123948083 Hardcover ISBN: 9780123948076
Meeting report: GARNet/OpenPlant CRISPR-Cas workshop
Parry G*, Patron NJ, Bastow R, Matthewman C (2016) GARNet/OpenPlant CRISPR-Cas workshop in Plant Methods 12(6)
Blueprints for green biotech: development and application of standards for plant synthetic biology.
Patron, N.J. Biochemical Society Transactions 44, 702-708 (2016) DOI: 10.1042/BST20160044
Multigene Engineering with RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease.
Raitskin, O. & Patron, N.J. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 37, 69-75 (2016) DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2015.11.008
GARNet/OpenPlant CRISPR-Cas Workshop.
Parry, G., Patron, N.J., Bastow, R. & Matthewman, C. Methods in Plant Biology 12,16 (2016) DOI: 10.1186/s13007-016-0104-z
Induction of targeted, heritable mutations in barley and Brassica oleracea using RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease.
Lawrenson, T., Shorinola, O., Stacey, N., Liu, C., Østergaard, L., Patron, N.J., Uauy, C. & Harwood, W. Genome Biology 16, 258 (2015) DOI: 10.1186/s13059-015-0826-7
Standards for Plant Synthetic Biology: A Common Syntax for Exchange of DNA Parts
Patron, N.J. et al. New Phytologist 208,13-9 (2015) DOI: 10.1111/nph.13532
An Introduction to Synthetic Biology in Plant Systems.
Carmichael, R.E., Boyce, A., Matthewman, C. & Patron, N.J. New Phytologist 208, 20-2 (2015) DOI: 10.1111/nph.13433
A Standard Type IIS Syntax for Plants (2015)
Rutten, V. et al. BBF RFC 106:
Editing plant genomes with CRISPR/Cas9.
Belhaj, K., Chaparro-Garcia, A., Kamoun, S., Patron, N.J. & Nekrasov, V. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 32, 76–84 (2015) DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2014.11.007
DNA assembly for plant biology: techniques and tools.
Patron, N.J. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 19, 14–19 (2014) DOI:10.1016/j.pbi.2014.02.004
A Golden Gate Modular Cloning Toolbox for Plants.
Engler, C., et al. ACS Synthetic Biology 11, 839–843 (2014) DOI: 10.1021/sb4001504
Reduced lignin content and altered lignin composition in the warm season forage grass Paspalum dilatatum by down-regulation of a Cinnamoyl CoA Reductase Gene.
Giordano, A. et al. Transgenic Research 23, 503-17 (2014) DOI: 10.1007/s11248-014-9784-1
Blueprints for green biotech: development and application of standards for plant synthetic biology
Patron NJ (2016) Biochemical Society Transactions 44 (3), 702-708
Multi-gene Engineering with RNA-guided Cas9 Nuclease
Raitskin O, Patron NJ. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 37; 69-75
Induction of targeted, heritable mutations in barley and Brassica oleracea using RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease
Lawrenson T, Shorinola O, Stacey N, Liu C, Østergaard L, Patron NJ, Uauy C, Harwood, W (2015) Genome Biology 16; 258
Synthetic Plants
Patron NJ (2016) in Synthetic Biology Handbook. Ed. Darren N. Nesbeth. CRC Press
Standards for Plant Synthetic Biology: A Common Syntax for Exchange of DNA Parts
Parry G*, Patron NJ, Bastow R, Matthewman C (2016) GARNet/OpenPlant CRISPR-Cas Workshop Methods in Plant Biology 12:16
Patron NJ*, Orzaez D, Marillonnet S, Warzecha H, Matthewman C, Youles M, Raitskin O, Leveau A, Farré G, Rogers C, Smith A, Hibberd J, Webb AAR, Locke J, Schornack S, Ajioka J, Baulcombe DC, Zipfel C, Kamoun S, Jones JDG, Kuhn H, Robatzek S, Van Esse HP, Sanders D, Oldroyd G, Martin C, Field R, O’Connor S, Fox S, Wulff B, Miller B, Breakspear A, Radhakrishnan G, Delaux PM, Loque D, Granell A, Tissier A, Shih P, Brutnell TP, Quick PW, Rischer H, Fraser PD, Aharoni A, Raines C, South PF, Ané JM, Hamberger BR, Langdale J, Stougaard J, Bouwmeester H, Udvardi M, Murray JAH, Ntoukakis V, Schäfer P, Denby K, Edwards KJ, Osbourn A, Jim Haseloff J (2015) . New Phytologist 2018:13-19
A Standard Type IIS Syntax for Plants
Rutten V, Munabi A, Riche F, Lewy G, Wilson H, Pipan M, Bhate S, Nghiem T-A, Kaufhold W, Haseloff J, Rubert A, González A, Quijano A, Llopis I, Gavaldá J, Estellés L, Vásquez M, Orzáez D, Deal C, Gray J, Spiegel M, Monsey S, Middlemiss A, Day J, Patron NJ* (2015) BioBricks Foundation RFC106 - http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/96069
An Introduction to Synthetic Biology in Plant Systems
Carmichael RE*, Boyce A, Matthewman C, Patron NJ (2015) – ERASynBio/ OpenPlant Summer School for early career researchers, New Phytologist 208(1):20-2
A Standard Type IIS Syntax for Plants
Rutten V, Munabi A, Riche F, Lewy G, Wilson H, Pipan M, Bhate S, Nghiem T-A, Kaufhold W, Haseloff J*, Rubert A, González A, Quijano A, Llopis I, Gavaldá J, Estellés L, Vásquez M, Orzáez D*, Deal C, Gray J, Spiegel M, Monsey S, Middlemiss A, Day J, Patron NJ* (2015) . BioBricks Foundation Request For Comment #106
DNA assembly for plant biology: techniques and tools
Belhaj K, Chaparro-Garcia A, Kamoun S*, Patron NJ*, Nekrasov V*. Editing plant genomes with CRISPR/Cas9 (2015) Current Opinion in Biotechnology 32:76–84
Patron NJ* (2014) . Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 19:14–19
Paspalum dilatatum by Down-Regulation of a Cinnamoyl CoA Reductase Gene
Giordano A, Liu Z, Panter SN, Dimech AM, Shang Y, Wijesinghe H, Fulgueras K, Ran R, Mouradov A, Rochfort S, Patron NJ, Spangenberg GC* (2014) Transgenic Research 23(3):503-17
