As scientists conduct further research into the benefits of gene-edited plants, more collaboration and information sharing will be necessary to track breakthroughs and key findings. To capture the otherwise overwhelming amounts of data, the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) located in Ithaca, N.Y., created the Plant Genome Editing Database (PGED).

Plant scientists are finding that the varieties of crops are as plentiful as the benefits of the improved characteristics. Looking at only one example, 432 lines of tomatoes have come from recent research work. With funding from National Science Foundation (NSF), the PGED aims to serve as a centralized database to capture information, track progress, and share resources among their peers handling research related to gene editing, such as CRISPR/Cas.

Researchers at BTI are now encouraging colleagues across the world to use the database as a tool to share their findings with others in the research community. The ultimate goal is for PGED to facilitate more efficiencies and partnerships among academic institutions working to find advancements in the field of gene editing.